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Former British ambassador to the U.S. Peter Mandelson in London on Feb. 14.Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters
British police on Monday arrested Peter Mandelson, a former U.K. ambassador to the United States, in a misconduct probe stemming from his ties with Jeffrey Epstein.
London’s Metropolitan Police force said “officers have arrested a 72-year-old man on suspicion of misconduct in public office” at an address in north London.
It did not name Mandelson, in keeping with British police practice, but the suspect in the case has previously been identified as Mandelson.
Police are investigating Mandelson over documents suggesting he passed sensitive government information to Epstein a decade and a half ago. He does not face any allegations of sexual misconduct.
His arrest comes four days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, was arrested on suspicion of a similar offence related to his friendship with Epstein.
Mandelson was fired from his diplomatic post in September after e-mails were published showing that he maintained a friendship with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for sex offences involving a minor. When more details emerged in documents released by the U.S. Justice Department last month, police opened a criminal probe.
