A former senior figure at Rupert Murdoch's News International group has reportedly been arrested in Britain as part of a probe into phone hacking at the News of the World tabloid.
Police say a 71-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of corruption and conspiring to intercept communications.
Reuters reports a source close to the case as saying the man is Stuart Kuttner, who ran the News of the World's finances for 22 years as managing editor.
Tuesday's arrest was made by detectives conducting an inquiry into whether journalists and private investigators illegally intercepted voicemail messages on mobile phones of people ranging from celebrities and politicians to murder victims and the families of dead soldiers to find out gossip for stories.
Mr Kuttner was responsible for authorising payments from the paper, which is part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp media empire.
He stepped down in 2009, before the Guardian newspaper began to publish a series of stories that phone-hacking activity at the News of the World was far more widespread than had so far been investigated.
Eleven people have now been arrested this year in connection with the escalating scandal, which has claimed the resignations of former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks and Britain's top two policemen.
Foam pie protester jailed
A man who threw a plate of shaving foam at Rupert Murdoch has been jailed.
Jonathan May-Bowles, 26, admitted attacking Mr Murdoch during a parliamentary hearing on phone hacking, the BBC reports.
He was told he would serve three weeks in prison and must pay a £15 victim surcharge and £250 costs.
The comic, who calls himself Jonnie Marbles, said he would appeal against the sentence, which was passed at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.
