Jussie Smollett Attack: Chicago Police Believe Former Suspects Were Paid to Assault Actor (Report)

Chicago police believe that Jussie Smollett paid two former suspects in his ongoing assault case to plan the attack, two police sources told CNN.

The two men, who are reportedly brothers, are cooperating with Chicago officers, CNN's report stated. According to the outlet's sources, police have dug up records that show that the brothers purchased the rope found around Smollett's neck at an Ace Hardware in Chicago.

In a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter, Chicago Police Department chief communications officer Anthony Guglielmi said, "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."

Fox had no statement or comment when reached by The Hollywood Reporter. THR has also reached out to Smollett's representatives for comment.

This story comes just a day after the two former suspects were released without charges from police custody due to "new evidence." Chicago PD deputy director of news affairs and communications Tom Ahern added that "detectives have additional investigative work to complete." On Saturday, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told multiple press outlets that his department had contacted Smollett's attorneys and requested to speak with the actor once more.

Reports that the Chicago police had been investigating the possibility that the attack was staged began to circulate as early as Thursday, but Chicago police denied these stories, saying their allegations were "unconfirmed by case detectives."

Fox and Empire writers also came to Smollett's defense, clapping back against reports that Smollett may have staged the attack because his character was being written off the show.   20th Century Fox released a statement saying, "The idea that Jussie Smollett has been, or would be, written off of EMPIRE is patently ridiculous. He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him."

The official Twitter account for the Empire writers room, meanwhile, added, "The writers of Empire have never planned or even discussed writing @JussieSmollett off of the show."