Police have arrested six journalists, the latest in a lengthy investigation into phone hacking charges that rocked Rupert Murdoch’s now-closed News of the World newspaper empire.
Scotland Yard investigators found evidence of a “further suspected conspiracy” — above and beyond the scope of the original phone hacking probe that led to the paper’s demise — allegedly committed by journalists who worked at the paper between 2005 and 2006, according to a report in Agence France-Presse.
“As part of the new lines of inquiry, six people were arrested Wednesday morning on suspicion of conspiracy to intercept telephone communications,” said police, according to the AFP report. “All of them are journalists or former journalists.”
Specifically, the police allege the journalists — three men, aged 46, 39 and 45, and three women, aged 33, 40 and 39 — intercepted voicemails, AFP reports.
Other media reports said two of the arrested journalists currently work at The Sun, a Murdoch-owned daily.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.