Man arrested in police phone hacking probe

A 26-year-old man has been arrested in the police investigation into the interception of voicemail messages by journalists, Scotland Yard has said.

The man, who has not been named, was detained on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

The arrest took place Surrey, by officers from the police's Operation Weeting probe into alleged phone hacking.

Detectives are currently questioning the man at a London police station.

This marks the 24th arrest by Operation Weeting, which was set up in January 2011 after fresh allegations of hacking emerged against Rupert Murdoch's News of the World.

The Sunday tabloid was shut down in July that year after it was reported that journalists at the paper had ordered the hacking of the phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

Among those arrested by Operation Weeting was former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks, who, along with her husband and four former colleagues, is facing charges of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

She has been bailed and is due to go on trial in September.

According to Scotland Yard, there are 14 people on bail pending further Operation Weeting enquiries, while four people have been released without charge.

Yesterday, a former Mirror journalist was among three people arrested in Operation Elveden, the police investigation into alleged corrupt payments made to public officials.