Matt Hazlett/Getty Images(RIO DE JANEIRO) — Two U.S. Olympic swimmers were pulled off their flight in Brazil and were set to be interviewed by police after questions were raised about a reported gunpoint robbery in Rio de Janeiro where they were allegedly victims.
Earlier Wednesday, a Brazilian judge ordered the seizure of U.S. swimming star Ryan Lochte’s passport after an investigation into the claims produced little evidence.
Lochte has already left Brazil and arrived in the U.S., according to American officials.
The passport of James Feigen, another U.S. swimmer, has also been requested.
Wednesday night, swimmers Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz, the two others with Lochte during the alleged robbery, were taken off their flight, sources say. Further details were not immediately available.
“We can confirm that Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were removed from their flight to the United States by Brazilian authorities,” U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Patrick Sandusky said in a statement. “We are gathering further information.”
Lochte, a gold medalist and reality TV show star, claimed on Sunday that he and the three other swimmers were robbed at about 4 a.m. in a taxi headed for the Olympic Village in Rio.
The threat of violent crime in Rio was widely reported before the games.
ABC News has learned that Rio police have searched the rooms of the four swimmers in the Olympic Village. Feigen and the other two victims of the alleged robbery are still in Brazil.
There were some contradictions in the statements of the four alleged robbery victims, including the number of assailants and the time the events supposedly took place, according to the judge’s order to search the rooms and seize the passports.
Olympic security footage showed the four swimmers arriving at Olympic Village shortly before 7 a.m., an arrival time that leaves an unexplained time gap. The swimmers said that they left a party at 4 a.m. and were robbed shortly thereafter.
A statement from the U.S. swim team acknowledged the Brazilian authorities’ request and said that it was cooperating with authorities.
“Local police arrived at the Olympic Village this a.m. and asked to meet with Ryan Lochte and James Feigen and collect their passports in order to secure further testimony from the athletes. The swim team moved out of the village after their competition ended, so we were not able to make the athletes available,” the statement said.
The team also said it could not confirm Lochte’s or Feigen’s whereabouts. “Additionally, as part of our standard security protocol, we do not make athlete travel plans public and therefore cannot confirm the athletes’ current location,” USA Swimming said.
An official from the U.S. State Department told ABC News, “We have seen media reports that a Brazilian court has issued an order to seize the passports of U.S. athletes involved in this incident. We encourage all parties to work with Brazilian law enforcement in this investigation. We refer you to the parties involved for further information. Due to privacy considerations, we do not have any further information to offer.”
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