Chicago police have dismissed local media reports a racist and homophobic attack on Empire actor Jussie Smollett was a hoax.

Key points: Local news reported multiple sources said Jussie Smollett's attack was a hoax

Local news reported multiple sources said Jussie Smollett's attack was a hoax The reports prompted swift rebukes from Chicago Police

The reports prompted swift rebukes from Chicago Police The attack on Smollett has proved flashpoint during a politically and racially fraught time in the US

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Smollett said two masked men shouted racial and homophobic slurs before attacking him and putting a rope around his neck early on January 29.

The first report it was a hoax, from ABC 7 Chicago, surfaced as detectives were questioning two "persons of interest" who were captured on surveillance cameras in the area of downtown Chicago where Smollett said he was attacked last month.

The two men are not considered suspects but may have been in the area when Smollett says he was attacked, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

Mr Guglielmi said there was no evidence to support the report by Chicago ABC7 television, which cited multiple unnamed sources.

Mr Guglielmi also said Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson contacted at least one Chicago news outlet to say investigators had no evidence to support their reporting.

The spokesman added that Mr Johnson said the "supposed CPD sources are uninformed and inaccurate".

Smollett, who is black and openly gay, told the American ABC News in an interview he believed the people of interest were the ones who attacked him.

"I don't have any doubt in my mind that that's them," he told the network. "Never did."

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No arrests have been made in the case.

Police said they had not found surveillance video that showed the attack, but the investigation was ongoing.

Smollett also told Robin Roberts of ABC News people it was "ridiculous" to think he would lie.

Smollett has said he was attacked while out getting food at a fast food restaurant.

"I've heard that it was a date gone bad, which I also resent that narrative," he said.

"I'm not going to go out and get a tuna sandwich and a salad to meet somebody. That's ridiculous. And it's offensive."

'This is MAGA country'

The case has proved to be a flashpoint at a fraught time, both politically and racially, in the US.

Upon reading reports it was a hoax, many conservatives tweeted triumphantly, including President Donald Trump's son Donald Trump Jr.

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Smollett has said his attackers yelled "this is MAGA country", referencing the President's "Make America Great Again (MAGA)" slogan, during the incident.

But Smollett said earlier reports from some outlets that his attackers were wearing red MAGA hats were inaccurate.

"I didn't need to add anything like that," he said. "I don't need some MAGA hat as the cherry on top of some racist sundae."

Producers of the television drama have also disputed media reports Smollett's character, Jamal Lyon, was being written off the show, calling the idea "patently ridiculous".

"[Smollett] remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him," 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment said in a statement.

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AP/Reuters