The individuals are no longer being classified as suspects, the department said. A spokesman for the department on Friday night declined to confirm to Reuters whether the individuals released were the two Nigerian brothers, police said they arrested on Wednesday at Chicago O’Hare Airport in connection to the attack. “While we haven’t found any video documenting the alleged attack, there is no evidence to say that this is a hoax. News of the alleged attack on Smollett, a 36-year-old openly gay African-American who plays a gay character on the hip-hop drama “Empire,” caused uproar on social media, but some have doubted Smollett’s account. Twentieth Century Fox Television, the producer of “Empire” released a statement on Thursday saying the idea that Smollett has been, or would be, written out of the show was “patently ridiculous,” and that they continue to stand behind him.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 17, 2019 16:41 UTC