Former UK ambassador Mandelson released on bail

The man was not named, in keeping with British police practice, but the suspect in the case previously was identified as the former diplomat, who is 72.

Mandelson, a major figure in the United Kingdom’s Labour Party for decades. was filmed being led from his London home to a car by plainclothes officers on Monday afternoon.

Photos of the arrest published by the UK’s The Times newspaper appeared to show Mandelson wearing khakis, a grey sweater, and a dark jacket while being led into a vehicle by a plainclothes officer.

“This is absolutely seismic political news,” reported Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull from London, noting Mandelson “is an enormous figure here”.

There was no immediate response from Mandelson’s lawyers.

Mandelson, who still holds the British title of “Lord”, has been engulfed in scandal since a trove of emails released by the US Department of Justice last month shed new light on his connection with the late Epstein.

The emails revealed that the two shared a closer relationship than had been publicly known, and that Mandelson shared information with Epstein when he was a minister in former Prime ⁠Minister Gordon Brown’s government.

Earlier this month, Mandelson – who was fired as ambassador to the US last year over earlier revelations about his relationship with Epstein – resigned from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party and quit his ⁠position in Parliament’s upper chamber.