Sergio Viegas, the swimmers’ defence lawyer said: “They will obviously co-operate with justice and the police”.
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The swimmers did not speak to reporters as they were driven away in a black auto.
Authorities have found little evidence to support the robbery claim. Both of them are in college: Bentz attends the University of Georgia and Conger the University of Texas. However, Lochte said he has returned to the U.S.
The USOC says American swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz, who were removed from their flight to the U.S.by Brazilian authorities and detained Wednesday night, have been released. He wasn’t told to stay around or that [the authorities] had other questions, but we told them we were still available if they had further questions.
Police sources said the three men now being held are not facing any charges.
Police today issued an appeal for the taxi driver who was allegedly driving the swimmers at the time of the incident to come forward. The source added that neither swimmer appeared nervous; they seemed calm and did not ask for any food or drinks. Blanc de Cnop said that Feigen, however, told police that the athletes were surprised by multiple robbers but that only one was armed.
Representatives from the US consulate arrived at the airport shortly after the swimmers were held.
Feigen’s statement said a number of robbers targeted the athletes but only one was armed, the statement said. “It’s a hassle. But I’m safe, everything’s fine”.
Lochte is home in the United States. He also said a gun was not put to his head but was pointed in his direction.
They publicly questioned Lochte’s story, tried to poke holes in it, and they ordered the swimmer and teammate Jimmy Feigen to remain in Rio pending further questioning.
In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said American authorities had “seen media reports that two U.S. citizen athletes were detained”.
“Until that confusion is resolved, they won’t be making statements [to police], but will later obviously be prepared to cooperate in whatever the police require”, Riera said.
“He sat for a victim interview with the Brazilian Tourist Police, USOC Security, State Department, FBI, and anyone else that the Brazilian authorities requested to be present”, he said.
Steve Lochte, Lochte’s dad, told The Associated Press by telephone after arriving in the U.S. that his son called him.
“The guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, ‘Get down, ‘” Lochte said afterward. The other three men were stopped by police at Rio’s global airport on Wednesday evening, one police source said. I don’t know what they’re trying to do down there. Pereira and Pauletti left the party before the Americans, who told police that they caught a taxi at a nearby gas station. “They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground – they got down on the ground”.
Lochte, though, gave interviews in which he described the incident in detail and Brazilian Olympic authorities were eventually forced to issue a public apology for the security slip-up.
The office of Judge Keyla Blank confirmed the order to seize the swimmers’ passports in a statement Wednesday.
The court order was the latest twist in a story of a supposedly terrifying incident that embarrassed Olympic authorities and ramped up the fear factor for hundreds of thousands of tourists in Rio at South America’s first Olympics.
“Additionally, as part of our standard security protocol, we do not make athlete travel plans public and therefore can not confirm the athletes’ current location”.
“Why would anybody fabricate anything?”
Directing traffic in front of the busy club, city worker Djaer Junior said he was working the overnight shift Sunday but did not remember anything out of the ordinary, or Lochte and his shock of dyed blond hair.
A police official speaking anonymously to the Associated Press said investigators have been unable to track down the taxi driver in question or any witnesses to the robbery. But Lochte had already left for the USA, and his attorney told NPR earlier today that he had not received any official requests to speak with the decorated Olympic swimmer.
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When reached for comment, Lochte’s attorney Jeff Ostrow told Business Insider that the changes reported by Lauer are not “material changes” and the basis of the story remains unchanged. “These types of things have happened with other people. but they don’t take half the interest they do with Ryan”. Maybe we’ll get to the bottom of the story, maybe not. Ryan is the victim here.
