
© Leon Neal/Agence France-Presse - Getty ImagesRebekah Brooks, the former Chief Executive of News International,on July 1, 2011, at Wimbledon
London - The British police on Sunday arrested Rebekah Brooks, the former head of Rupert Murdoch's media operations in Britain, according to a former associate at News International, the newspaper group at the heart of a phone-hacking scandal convulsing the Murdoch empire, the British political elite and the police.
The timing, two days before a separate parliamentary inquiry into the crisis, drew a skeptical response from opposition lawmakers who said the arrest might inhibit Ms. Brooks' ability or readiness to testify before the panel while she is the subject of police inquiries.
David Wilson, a lawyer representing Ms. Brooks, said she "maintains her innocence, absolutely."