Overview

• Detectives spent about five hours at Clarke’s Kensington address on Thursday, removing boxes containing a laptop and documents, with a specialist dog unit seen at the scene.
• Clarke was arrested, questioned in custody and later released, and police have not disclosed the reason for the arrest or search.
• The investigation is being led by the Metropolitan police’s central specialist crime command, according to reports.
• In August, Clarke lost his High Court libel case against the Guardian, with the judge ruling the reporting on allegations by more than 20 women was substantially true.
• Earlier this week, the court ordered Clarke to pay an initial £3 million toward the publisher’s legal costs, and he continues to deny wrongdoing and alleges an unlawful conspiracy.