Two Nigerian brothers have been arrested in connection with the alleged hate attack on Jussie Smollett, Chicago police confirmed Friday.
The cops told The Post that the men have not yet been charged, and the pair were not immediately identified.
But TMZ identified the men as Abimbola “Abel” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo and said they have been charged with battery in the alleged attack on the “Empire” TV star.
The beefy brothers, who describe themselves as actors and models, have links to “Empire” – Ola played a prison inmate on season 2 of the hit Fox series, while Abel says he’s also worked on the show.
Ola also had a part on TV’s “Chicago PD” last year, according to his IMBD page.
Smollett, meanwhile, is one of Abel’s more than 18,000 followers on Instagram.
Police revealed Friday that the Osundairos were arrested Wednesday, when they were picked up at O’Hare International Airport after arriving from Nigeria.
“The detectives have 48 hours which to charge, so they have not been charged,” police said. “They have 48 hours from Wednesday night which will be sometime today.”
Authorities have not confirmed that the brothers are the “persons of interest” captured on surveillance just before the 2 a.m. attack.
In his first interview since the Jan. 29 attack, Smollett said he is certain that the pair on the video are the men responsible for the attack, during which he was punched and called racist and gay slurs. The attackers allegedly shouted, “This is MAGA country!” and doused Smollett in an unknown “chemical substance” and threw a noose around his neck before fleeing.
In an earlier statement Friday morning, cops had called the brothers “potential suspects,” saying there is “probable cause” that the pair may have been involved in the alleged attack.
Police later confirmed their arrests.
They pushed back against reports suggesting Smollett staged the attack with the men because his character was getting written off “Empire.”
“While we haven’t found any video documenting the alleged attack, there is no evidence to say that this is a hoax,” police said in statement Friday morning. “The alleged victim is being cooperative at this time and continues to be treated as a victim, not a suspect.”