A Brazilian judge Wednesday forbid U.S. swimmers Ryan Lochte, James Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger from immediately leaving the country because they gave conflicting accounts of how they were robbed at gunpoint outside the Rio Games over the weekend.
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Bentz and Conger were removed from their flight back to the U.S. and were released following questioning by Brazilian police. Judicial sources say that they believe Lochote and Feigen have already left Brazil.
Judge Keyla Blanc, of Brazil's Special Tribunal for Fans and Major Events, ordered the seizure of the swimmers' passports until they gave further evidence concerning the incident, which has fueled security concerns at South America' first Olympic Games.
A U.S. Olympic Committee spokesperson said in a statement that police had arrived at the Athletes' Village on Wednesday and asked to meet the swimmers and collect their passports.
"The swim team moved out of the village after their competition ended, so we were not able to make the athletes available," said USOC spokesman Patrick Sandusky, adding that he could not confirm the swimmers' location for security reasons.
"We will continue to cooperate with Brazilian authorities," Sandusky stated.
Lochte says that he and three teammates were robbed at gunpoint in a taxi by muggers posing as police as they left a party in central Rio.
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Lochte said he had a gun put to his forehead, after the swimmers' taxi was pulled over by robbers who forced them to lie on the ground while they searched their pockets for money and jewelry.
However, Olympic officials have said police are still looking for key witnesses, including the driver of the taxi in question.
The judge said that there were a number of inconsistencies in the swimmers' allegations, particularly over the number of people involved in the robbery and the time that it took place and when they arrived back at the athletes' village.
The Games' swimming competition ended Saturday.