Because he allegedly staged a homophobic and racist attack against himself, actor Jussie Smollett was arrested. Now the 36-year-old has been released on payment of a deposit of $ 100,000.

The star of the television series "Empire" was released from custody on Thursday afternoon in Chicago. He faces three years imprisonment for alleged wrong-doing.

The openly gay African-American had reported in late January that he had been attacked in the street in the night by two masked and insulted racist and anti-gay. However, according to the police, the attack was only made.

The 36-year-old is said to have paid two men for the fake attack $ 3500 (about 3100 euros), because he had hoped for his victim role professional benefits. The actor has "exploited the pain and anger over racism to promote his career," said Chicago police chief Eddie Johnson in a press conference.

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Jussie Smollett: At large

The lawyers of the actor then sharply criticized the police: the press conference had "trampled" on the presumption of innocence. The police have organized a "spectacle" that has no place in the US justice system, attorney Jack Prior said Smollett insists on his innocence and feels "betrayed by a system that seems to skip a fair trial and go straight to the verdict." ,

The alleged attack on Smollett had caused not only in the film industry for outrage, but was also strongly condemned by many politicians. He appeared to stand for increasing violence against minorities in the US, for which critics blame President Donald Trump's aggressive rhetoric.

In fact, according to the FBI, the number of hate crimes in the United States rose by 17 percent in 2017. The victims were primarily African Americans and Jews. However, several US newspapers wrote that in the case of Smollett, journalists and politicians reacted prematurely and accepted the actor's statements uncritically.