RIO (CelebrityAccess) — Two swimmers with the American Olympic team were taken off of a flight to the U.S. by Brazilian law enforcement authorities on Wednesday night.
According to the New York Times, the swimmers had reported being robbed at gunpoint by people dressed as police officers, but were detained as apparent inconsistencies in their story came to light.
“We can confirm that Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were removed from their flight to the United States by Brazilian authorities,” a spokesman for the United States Olympic Committee told the Times. “We are gathering further information.”
The two men were detained for several hours and then released, but enjoined from leaving the country. A third swimmer, gold medalist Ryan Lochte, was among the athletes claiming to have been among the robbed, but returned to the U.S. on Sunday and Jimmy Feigen, also on the Olympic swimming team remains in Brazil as well.
The initial report of the robbery was highly embarrassing for Brazil, but since the initial report, inconsistencies in the details of the alleged robbery have arisen.
Lochte previously said the robbery occurred after a cab he and his teammates were riding in was pulled over by men identifying themselves as police. Lochte described one of the purported officers allegedly pressing a gun against his forehead.
However, in a subsequent interview on Wednesday with NBC's Matt Lauer, Locke said the robbery occurred at a gas station and that the gun had only been pointed in his general direction.
Video surveillance footage from the gas station appeared to show station employees and security guards detaining the three swimmers after the exited the station's public restroom according to Reuters.
Brazilian security forces say the three men were initially detained after causing damage to the station's bathroom. – Staff Writers
