Scotland Yard quickly decided not to investigate further after a report in The Guardian that two of Rupert Murdoch’s British tabloids hired private investigators to tap into the cellphones of thousands of public figures, the New York Times says.

A Scotland Yard official said The Guardian’s report didn’t add to what the police learned three years ago when they first investigated the tabloids’ activities. Nonetheless, the newspaper’s report is continuing to cause an uproar and is likely to have eventual political repercussions.

–Elizabeth Jensen