London:
Two former members of the National Health Service were arrested on Thursday by officers investigating corrupt links between police and journalists exposed by Britain's phone hacking scandal, Scotland Yard said.
It said a 46-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman were arrested in Somerset, southwestern England, on suspicion of corruption and conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office, and are currently being questioned at a local police station.
The arrests came just hours after a 26-year-old man was arrested by officers investigating the hacking of voicemail messages. That man is being held on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, Scotland Yard said.
Britain's phone hacking scandal erupted anew last year when it emerged that Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World tabloid had systematically hacked voicemails of politicians and celebrities.
The scandal has rocked Britain's establishment and triggered three parallel police investigations that have resulted in more than 40 arrests - including those on Thursday.
News International, Murdoch's UK newspaper arm, confirmed that the 26-year-old suspect arrested Thursday was a current employee, but not a member of any editorial team at the company.