UK: Journalist arrested for possible data theft

LONDON (AP) — British police said Monday a 51-year-old journalist has been arrested as part of an investigation into the use of information taken from stolen mobile phones.

The arrest is linked to a wider inquiry into the phone hacking scandal that has engulfed the British press and tarnished the reputation of police and politicians.

Scotland Yard said the man is the eighth person arrested as part of Operation Tuleta, an inquiry into computer hacking and privacy offenses that is linked to Operation Weeting, the main phone hacking inquiry.

The journalist was arrested Monday morning after reporting to a London police station and later released on bail. Police said in a statement that the arrest relates to a suspected conspiracy.

The inquiries have focused mainly on newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch's company but have also spread to others.