Jussie Smollett Paid Nigerian Brothers To Participate In Alleged Attack

Brothers say Jussie Smollett paid them to participate in alleged attack, source says

The two Nigerian brothers arrested in connection with the assault on "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett are no longer suspects in the attack. They're now cooperating with police. A source close to the investigation confirms to CBS News the brothers told detectives Smollett paid them to participate in the alleged attack on January 29 and that they purchased the rope — which was found around Smollett's neck — at a nearby hardware store. The source said detectives have evidence to corroborate the sale, something the men's attorney alluded to Friday night. "New evidence that was brought to their attention, obviously I had it, my clients had it," said Gloria Schmidt, the brothers' attorney. The Chicago Police Department released a statement Saturday night saying information from the brothers had "shifted the trajectory of the investigation." "We can confirm that the information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the Empire case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation. We've reached out to the Empire cast member's attorney to request a follow-up interview." Smollett's attorneys, Todd S. Pugh and Victor P. Henderson, issued a statement late Saturday saying Smollett was "angered and devastated" by reports that he knew the people associated with the alleged attack. Source