Scotland Yard has made its twelfth arrest in connection with the News Of The World phone hacking scandal — reportedly Greg Miskiw, a former News of the World newsdesk executive.
According to Sky News sources, police arrested Miskiw on Wednesday after he went to a police station by appointment. He had returned to the UK from his home in Florida, where he moved after leaving NOTW in 2005.
According to The Guardian, Miskiw, 61, was held on suspicion of unlawful interception of communications and conspiring to intercept communications. Miskiw told The Guardian in July that he had been talking to the police “for some time” and was getting ready to return to the UK for questioning.
The charges stem from allegations that reporters for News Of The World hacked into the cell phones of murder victims, terrorism victims, members of the royal family and celebrities.
Miskiw’s name appeared on a contract with private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who was identified by a pseudonym, the New York Times reported. Mulcaire and former NOTW reporter Clive Goodman were convicted and sent to prison in 2007 on charges related to the phone hackings.
Miskiw was also accused by former reporter Sean Hoare of being the go-to man for the hacking. Hoare alleged to the Times that the tabloid would pay $500 a pop for “pinging,” the process of illicitly tracking cell phones, which only law enforcement officials can do legally with case-by-case authorization. Hoare said he was told to go to Miskiw to track someone for a story, and after Hoare provided him with the person’s cell phone number, Miskiw came back with a location.
Hoare was the first reporter to go on the record with allegations that the phone hacking scandal was not limited to Goodman and Mulcaire, telling the New York Times that former editor Andy Coulson knew about and encouraged the hackings.
Miskiw worked for NOTW during the time Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson were its editors. Brooks resigned from her position as chief of News International, which publishes News Corp’s British newspapers, in the wake of the scandal. Andy Coulson left his post as Prime Minister David Cameron’s chief of communications as well. Both have been arrested in connection with the scandal.
Last week, police took former News of the World managing editor Stuart Kuttner into custody “on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications” and “on suspicion of corruption.” The 71-year old Kuttner was in charge of finances at NOTW until his resignation in July 2009.
