British police arrest six in new News of the World hacking probe
British police arrested six former journalists on Wednesday in a new probe into alleged phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch’s now-closed tabloid, Scotland Yard said.
Investigators had identified a “further suspected conspiracy” at the paper in 2005 and 2006 which was separate to the alleged hacking under which a number of people have already been charged, it said in a statement.
The closed in disgrace in 2011 amid allegations that it had hacked the mobile phone voicemails of hundreds of celebrities, politicians and victims of crime and terrorism.
“Detectives on Operation Weeting have identified a further suspected conspiracy to intercept telephone voicemails by a number of employees who worked for the now defunct newspaper,” the statement said.
“As part of the new lines of inquiry six people were arrested this morning on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept telephone communications... All of them are journalists or former journalists.”
Police arrested three men aged 46, 39 and 45 and two women aged 33 and 40 in London, and a 39-year-old woman in Cheshire, northwest England, and were questioning them at various police stations, the statement said.
Searches were also under way at a number of addresses.
“In due course officers will be making contact with people they believe have been victims of the suspected voicemail interceptions,” the statement said.
News International declined to comment on the arrests.
But in an internal memo to staff, News International chief executive Mike Darcey said two of those arrested were current staff members at and were being offered legal assistance, a source told reporters.
Those already facing trial over hacking at the include British Prime Minister David Cameron’s ex-spokesman Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, the former head of Murdoch’s British newspaper wing.
Operation Weeting was launched in January 2011 to investigate a string of allegations over hacking at the weekly which was Britain’s biggest selling newspaper.
Since then News International has paid out millions of pounds in damages to hacking victims.
Others to win damages over the past two years are actors Jude Law and Sienna Miller, England footballer Ashley Cole and former deputy prime minister John Prescott.
Two other police inquiries sparked by the events at the– into the bribery of public officials and the hacking of emails – are also under way.
The scandal also prompted Cameron to launch a judicial inquiry into press ethics – the Leveson Inquiry – which in its conclusions last year called for a new, tougher independent regulatory body backed by legislation.
A deal on the new watchdog is nearing completion this week, although it is likely to be overseen by a royal charter – a special document used to establish and set out the terms of organisations including the BBC and the Bank of England – rather than by law.
