OK. This turns out to be Stuart Kuttner, former managing director of News of the World, but not a major figure in Newscorp terms: I'll update this diary below the fold if anything big comes of this. Meanwhile, we have to bit our time for the process of law to work its way up the Newscorp empire
This could be big and I'll update as more comes in:
A key new arrest has been made in the ongoing phone-hacking scandal. Could it be James Murdoch himself?
The unnamed man apparently did not know he was going to be taken into custody when he arrived by appointment at a police station in London at 11am on Tuesday to answer questions about the phone-hacking scandal.
Police from both Operation Weeting, the Metropolitan police investigation into alleged phone hacking, and Elveden, the investigation into allegations of inappropriate payments to police, are understood to have been involved.
The development is the latest in a scandal that has already caused the closure of a 168-year-old newspaper, the News of the World, and the resignation of two top police officers, as well as 10 arrests.
The man at the centre of the new arrest is believed to have been a key figure at News International. He is understood to have been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to intercept communications, contrary to Section1 (1) Criminal Law Act 1977, and on suspicion of corruption allegations contrary to Section 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906.
Looking at the Guardian's byline, it sounds more like a former employee though:
Unnamed man, believed to have been a key figure at News International, taken into custody for questioning
Is Les Hinton in the UK?
UPDATE: Stand down: The unnamed man is believed to be former News of the World managing editor Stuart Kuttner.
Some more background on Stuart Kuttner, who resigned from News International two years ago:
Stuart Kuttner is stepping down after 22 years as managing editor of the News of the World.
SNIP
Colin Myler, the News of the World editor, added: "Stuart has been an outstanding managing editor. His knowledge, experience and attention to detail is beyond compare in the industry.
SNIP
Kuttner's departure comes after Neil Wallis, the paper's executive editor and former deputy editor, announced he would leave in August.
Kuttner was involved in the News of the World's biggest scandal in recent times. He signed off on the £100,000 a year contract that private investigator Glenn Mulcaire had with the paper for "research and information services" that became central to the royal phone hacking scandal.
Just to remind you: Neil Wallis has been arrested, and acted as PR advisor to the Metropolitan Police, who were supposed to be investigating the hacking claims, after leaving NotW.
Colin Myler has, along with the inhouse lawyer Tom Crone, contested James Murdoch's contentious in Parliament two weeks ago, that there was no evidence of other crimes when James Murdoch made a 1 million pound pay out two years ago to a victim of phone hacking.
Kuttner also gave evidence with Andy Coulson (also arrested last mont) - our Prime Minister's former Communications Director - at the previous parliament inquiry in 2009.
There's a full transcript of the examination of the Parliamentary witnesses here. Around the third or fourth page you'll see that Kuttner was responsible for payments to Glyn Mulcaire (code named Alexander)
Q1696 Adam Price: So some of the stories that emerged through Alexander (that we now know as Glenn Mulcaire operating under subterfuge) did appear in the paper?
Mr Kuttner: I believe that is right.
Q1697 Adam Price: Could we have a list of the stories that appeared in the paper through this route that came in through Alexander, aka Glenn Mulcaire, paid for by the £12,400 additional payment?
Mr Kuttner: All I can say, sir, is that I will do my best to see if it is possible to research that.
You have to remember this is precisely the time when the Harbottle emails revealed there had also been payments to police for the numbers of members of the Royal Household. And who oversaw the payments?
Mr Hall: Who signs the cheques?
Mr Kuttner: They go through a process through our accounts department in Peterborough.
Q1764 Mr Hall: And bank transfers are authorised by?
Mr Kuttner: Quite often they would be authorised by me.
Q1765 Mr Hall: By you?
Mr Kuttner: Yes.
Q1766 Mr Hall: And any cash payments that were made they would actually be signed for as well, would they?
Mr Kuttner: Yes.
Many emails may have been deleted, but accountants keep invoices and payments forever: follow the money