LONDON  - British detectives arrested a former police special operations officer as part of an investigation into phone-hacking and bribery at Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers, Scotland Yard said Thursday. The unnamed 57-year-old man was arrested in a raid at his house in Surrey, on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, the force said. He previously served in the Metropolitan Police’s specialist operations command and retired several years ago, it said. The arrest was made as a result of info provided by the Management Standards Committee of Murdoch’s US-based News Corp, a panel set up by Murdoch to probe illegal activity, it added.
“It relates to suspected payments to a former police officer and is not about seeking journalists to reveal confidential sources in relation to information that has been obtained legitimately,” the statement said.
“He is currently being questioned at a southwest London police station and his home address is being searched.”
Scotland Yard’s special operations command covers a range of roles including counter-terrorism, organised crime, firearms and royal and diplomatic protection.