Former News International executive Rebekah Brooks was today sensationally arrested over the News of the World phone hacking scandal.
The 43-year-old was held when she arrived for a pre-arranged appointment at a central London police station - two days before she is due to give evidence to MPs.
The ex-News of the World editor, who is tenth person to be arrested in connection with allegations of corruption and phone hacking, resigned from her job on Friday.
Mrs Brooks is believed to be being held at Lewisham police station. She attended voluntarily and said she is 'assisting police with investigations'.
She is in custody as part of the ongoing investigations by officers from Operation Weeting looking at phone hacking and Operation Elveden, investigating inappropriate payments to police.
She was arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications.
Mrs Brooks' arrest comes after it was revealed that Britain's top police officer accepted a free five-week stay at a top health spa where News of the World hacking suspect Neil Wallis was a PR consultant.
She is "assisting police with investigations." If you don't think those words send a chill up the spine of Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes than you have not been paying attention.
I have a feeling that this thing is still only at its beginning stages, and that when the dust finally settles there are going to be some very serious changes in how journalism is conducted in Britain, and hopefully America as well.
Update: It looks like another domino just fell.
The commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police Services, Sir Paul Stephenson, resigned his post on Sunday just hours after his officers arrested Rebekah Brooks, the former chief of Rupert Murdoch’s media operations in Britain, as damage from a phone-hacking scandal moved to the highest levels of British public life.
In a news conference, Sir Paul said his position was “in danger of being eclipsed by the ongoing debate by senior officers and the media. And this can never be right,” according to a report by The Guardian.
The Metropolitan Police, commonly referred to as Scotland Yard, has come under harsh scrutiny in recent days, accused in the press and by British politicians of currying too close a relationship with tabloid executives.
Like I said this thing is just in the beginning stages. So far almost every day has seen the new allegations and new resignations, from my perspective it feels like the momentum is picking up NOT getting ready to crest nor diminish.
Anybody of a differing opinion?
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