No basis yet to probe 9/11 hack claim: U.S. sources

LONDON (Reuters) - There is no basis so far for police in New York to open an investigation into claims that any of Rupert Murdoch's media outlets tried to hack into the voice mail accounts of victims of the September 11 attacks, a U.S. law enforcement official said on Monday.

London's Daily Mirror reported last week on a purported attempt by reporters from Murdoch's defunct News of the World to hire an ex-New York policeman to hack into the voice mails.

But some U.S. officials are questioning whether any corroboration will ever be found to substantiate the claim. "My guess is there's no there there," said a law enforcement official familiar with the New York Police Department's view.

Two other law enforcement officials, also speaking on the condition that they not be identified, said no new evidence had emerged to back up the claim.

One of Murdoch's most prominent veteran reporters and editors told Reuters he had never heard of any instances of News Corp reporters in the United States using the illegal reporting methods, including hiring private detectives, that have scandalized the company in Britain.

"Not on my watch," said Steve Dunleavy, a former metropolitan editor and columnist for Murdoch's tabloid New York Post, who retired in October 2008.

Two other former senior reporters at the Post also said they were unaware of any practices similar to those being investigated by British authorities.

Government officials monitoring U.S. investigations said they were aware of little, if any, new evidence to substantiate U.S. phone hacking allegations raised by the Mirror, which competes with Murdoch-controlled titles in the fiercely competitive UK tabloid market.

The FBI's New York office late last week said it was looking into the 9/11 hacking allegations after a number of politicians demanded an investigation. An FBI spokesman declined to elaborate on Monday.

U.S. officials have said that phone hacking or computer hacking under some circumstances could be considered violations of U.S. state or federal laws. But there is little indication so far that U.S. authorities have found any evidence to support allegations that practices employed by reporters working for the News of the World were used in the United States.

London's Daily Mail newspaper, another competitor to Murdoch titles, reported on Sunday that British actor Jude Law was suing both the News of the World and the Sun, its daily stablemate, for alleged hacking abuses.

One allegation was that the News of the World had hacked into Law's phone shortly after he and an assistant arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy airport.

A person familiar with Law's claim said the actor and his advisers were more interested in the reporting practices of reporters working for Murdoch's UK properties and that there was little likelihood that the lawsuit would produce a substantial connection to the United States.

(Editing by Ted Kerr)