Over the weekend, a surprising – and confusing – story emerged out of the Rio Olympics, when US olympic gold medal winner Ryan Lochte said he had been robbed at gunpoint by Brazilian police, something the International Olympic Committee fervently denied.
As Lochte said in an NBC interview, “We got pulled over, in the taxi, and these guys came out with a badge, a police badge, no lights, no nothing just a police badge and they pulled us over,” Lochte said. “They pulled out their guns, they told the other swimmers to get down on the ground — they got down on the ground. I refused, I was like we didn’t do anything wrong, so — I’m not getting down on the ground. And then the guy pulled out his gun, he cocked it, put it to my forehead and he said, “Get down,” and I put my hands up, I was like ‘whatever.’ He took our money, he took my wallet — he left my cell phone, he left my credentials.”
The confusing situation left us wondering “who is lying here – Lochte’s mother or the IOC… and why.”
While we still don’t know the answer, the latest bizarre development in this saga took place moments ago when an order was made to seize American swimmer Ryan Lochte’s passport by Brazilian authorities after claims he “lied about being robbed” according to the Mirror.
Brazilian Justice seized Ryan Lochte’s passport saying that he lied about robbery at #Rio2016
— Rádio BandNews FM (@radiobandnewsfm) August 17, 2016
Earlier, the local police had further questions for the swimmer – a 12-time Olympic medallist – about the supposed robbery and found ‘little evidence’ that it had taken place. Lochte claims that he and three of his team-mates were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi, but police say the swimmers were unable to provide key details in police interviews.
Lochte’s attorney, Jeff Ostrow, said there was no question the robbery happened and that the swimmer had 24-hour security hired after the incident.
Apparently Brazilian judges have seized the passports of American swimmers who they claim “lied” about the theft, including Ryan Lochte.
— Simon Clancy (@SiClancy) August 17, 2016
He had been staying in his hotel room and intended to go back to the US soon. “This happened the way he described it,” Ostrow told the NY Post.
Pictures and CCTV have emerged of the swimmer returning to the Olympic complex and passing security on the night of the alleged robbery – with the wallets and watches the men claim were stolen. Protocol requires that athletes go through a metal detector before entering the village, with athletes putting their belongings in plastic trays.
But images contradict the version of the swimmers and because of this Judge Keyla Blank, the Special Court of the Fan and Major Events banned the athletes from leaving the country.
The Mirror also adds that there was also a warrant issued for search and seizure to the Olympic Village, where passports would be seized. However it is thought that the swimmers have already have left the country.
“There was no effort to detain anyone, but police did have further questions this a.m. It is a matter for our consulate and U.S. citizen services and we will continue to cooperate with all involved,” USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky said in a statement amid reports Wednesday that arrest warrants were issued for the swimmers.
It appears that, unless Lochte is egregiously lying for reasons unknown about the robbery, Brazil is now in meltdown mode, desperate to prove that it is a “safe” country for olympics, and in order to prove it, it is willing to go as far as to arrest a US national icon, an arrest however which may not happen.
via http://ift.tt/2aZFwac Tyler Durden