The Guardian is reporting that Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor and communications director for British Prime Minister David Cameron, will be arrested tomorrow morning over suspicions stemming from a recently discovered batch of emails that he "knew about, or had direct involvement in" the tabloid's practice of hacking cell phones. The news comes after Rupert Murdoch announced that he would be shuttering News of the World as outrage mounts and the police investigation into the hacking allegations picks up steam. The Guardian adds that police will arrest another former senior journalist at the paper in the coming days, but doesn't publish the person's name to "avoid prejudicing the ongoing police investigation."

What's next for Coulson? The Guardian says the "former rising star of News International" will probably be questioned, released on bail, and ask to appear in court with at a later date with three former colleagues who've already been arrested. The "arrest will be embarrassing for David Cameron who consistently defended his decision to hire the controversial former journalist amid mounting evidence of his involvement in the hacking scandal," the paper writes. Coulson has long denied any involvement in the tabloid's illegal phone hacking. 

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Uri Friedman