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CHICAGO — Embattled “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was caught on surveillance video doing a “dry run” one day before his alleged hate crime attack, prosecutors said at his trial in Chicago Tuesday.
Prosecutors contend the footage confirms the actor faked the Jan. 29, 2019, alleged attack with Nigerian brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who are expected to be key witnesses for the prosecution in the case.
Smollett’s lawyers claim the actor was really attacked — by the two brothers.
Prosecutors poked a hole in that claim Tuesday, revealing a text message sent by Smollett to one of the siblings a couple of weeks after the alleged attack, the Chicago Tribune reported.
“Brother…..I love you,” Smollett wrote to Abimbola Osundairo on Feb. 14, 2019. “I stand with you. I know 10000% you and your brother did nothing wrong and never would.”