CHICAGO _ Chicago police late Friday released two brothers they had been questioning about a reported attack on "Empire" star Jussie Smollett, saying they were no longer considered suspects.
"Due to new evidence as a result of today's interrogations, the individuals questioned by police in the Empire case have now been released without charging and detectives have additional investigative work to complete," police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a tweet.
He did not say what the evidence was or what work detectives still must do. His statement was released about 12 hours after he had called the brothers "possible suspects" and that detectives had "probable cause" that they may have committed a crime.
Guglielmi did not explain what happened in the meantime.
The men had been arrested Wednesday night after detectives tracked their movement on surveillance cameras in the Streeterville area, where Smollett says two men shouted racial and homophobic slurs at him late last month, hit him and wrapped a rope around his neck while yelling, "This is MAGA country!"
