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RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Swimmers from the U.S. Olympics delegation, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger, were released after spending four hours in a Brazilian police station while authorities have asked fellow U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte to be interrogated in the U.S. regarding an alleged assault early Sunday morning involving four U.S. swimmers in Rio de Janeiro.
On Wednesday evening when Bentz and Conger tried to board a plane for the U.S. in Rio, they were detained by police as they had some questions regarding the validity of the robbery claim previously filed by Lochte.
During their detention, Bentz and Conger refused to testify on the alleged attack, according to police sources and the swimmers' lawyer Sergio Guerra. After being released, the swimmers were moved to a hotel close to the airport after handing over their passports to local authorities.
The two swimmers have agreed to speak to the police once again on Thursday along with fellow teammate James Feigen who was also present during the alleged incident on Sunday morning and is still in Brazil, according to online news site USA Today.
"My clients were removed from the plane and were coerced to try to get a testimony which is a legal aberration. However, what shocked me the most was that they had to hand over their passports," criticized the lawyer, who added that Bentz and Conger "were left very frightened, and didn't understand why they weren't being allowed to leave (Rio)."
According to Lochte's original version of events, he and his teammates, Feigen, Conger and Bentz, were returning to their hotel early Sunday morning, after attending a party in Rio when their taxi was stopped by police.
He then alleged that they were not actually police but armed robbers disguised as police. The robbers allegedly told the swimmers to get on the ground, which they all did except for Lochte and that was when one of the robbers allegedly put a gun to the head of the 12-time Olympic medalist.
The robbers allegedly took Lochte's wallet and money from the rest of the swimmers but left Lochte's cell phone and credentials.
Originally Lochte and the three other swimmers did not report what had happened to the U.S. Olympic Committee or Brazilian police. The police only began to investigate after the media got hold of the story from Lochte's parents.
However, in a phone interview with Matt Lauer, Lochte has since changed his version of events including the part where the robbers had posed as police. Instead, he told Lauer they were robbed when they stopped at a gas station to use the bathroom. Lochte also said that the gun was not actually held to his head.
Brazilian police said there are major discrepancies in the four swimmers' versions of events which Lochte has put down to the trauma of the event. However, there is security footage of the four men joking around after the alleged robbery which has been stated by Brazilian judge Keyla Blanc as not being normal behavior for people who have just been robbed at gunpoint.
Brazil's police believe that the four swimmers made up the whole story in order to avoid the truth getting out. According to the police's version of events, the swimmers were drunk and were at the gas station to use the bathroom when one of them broke a door which caused an argument with the gas station's security staff. Security then called the police but before the police could arrive the swimmers tried to leave which caused more arguments. After the incident, Lochte and his teammates promised to pay for the damages, according to sources cited by local media.
Due to this, Brazil's justice system ordered the retention of all four swimmers passports on Wednesday but Lochte had already returned to the United States earlier in the week.
In the U.S. suspects can't be held without a warrant, but in Brazil things are quite different. The police who removed the swimmers from the plane had a court order to detain and question them. Per Brazilian law, filing a false police report could get the teammates six months' detention and a fine.
Brazilian law also states that foreigners are not immune therefore the U.S. swimmers could be detained, arrested and tried according to Brazilian law even though they are citizens of another country.
Related:
US Olympic swimmers accused of vandalism at Rio gas station
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Four US Olympic swimmers have been accused of vandalizing a gasoline station as further doubts emerged about their supposed robbery in Rio de Janeiro.
The owner of the gas station in the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood said Ryan Lochte, James Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger urinated on the premises despite being asked to use the toilet. Full story
No need for apologies from American swimmers, said Rio organizers
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Rio organizers showed their tolerance when talking about Ryan Lochte and three other U.S. swimmers whose initial mugging story seemed to have contradicted with a police investigation.
"I understand the issue is under investigation. Let's cut these kids some break," said Rio Rio 2016 chief spokesman Mario Andrada Thursday. " Sometimes you take actions that you later regret. They are magnificent athletes. Lochte is one of the best swimmers of all times. They made a mistake. This is part of life and life goes on. Full story
