British police arrest five at Murdoch's Sun newspaper

LONDON - British police threw Rupert Murdoch's scandal-hit News Corporation into fresh turmoil on Saturday by arresting five senior staff at the top-selling daily The Sun in a probe into journalists paying police for tip-offs.

The move is part of a wider investigation into illegal news gathering practices that has rocked Britain's political, media and police establishments and last year prompted the closure of the Sun's sister Sunday title, the News of the World.

Saturday's arrests came after the company passed information to the police, a move that infuriated staff and sparked talk of a witch hunt among journalists by a proprietor who previously celebrated their work.