LONDON, (Reuters):

Police arrested a 37-year-old man yesterday on suspicion of murdering five prostitutes in one of Britain's most dramatic serial killings.

The naked bodies of five sex workers were found dumped in the countryside near Ipswich, eastern England, over a period of 11 days this month, dominating headlines and evoking memories of the 19th-century prostitute killer Jack the Ripper.

"He has been arrested on suspicion of murdering all five women - Gemma Adams, Tania Nicol, Anneli Alderton, Paula Clennell and Annette Nicholls," Police Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull told a news conference.

Gull said the man lived in Felixstowe, a port town about 12 miles (19km) southeast of Ipswich. He was arrested at 7:20 a.m. (0720 GMT) and is in police custody awaiting questioning.

British media said the arrested man was supermarket worker Tom Stephens, but police declined to confirm that name.

Stephens, 37, gave a lengthy interview to the Sunday Mirror newspaper at the weekend in which he said he feared he could be arrested as he had known all the prostitutes and had no alibis. But he strenuously denied any involvement in the deaths.

Stephens has published pictures of himself on a personal website, where he calls himself "The Bishop" and lists his interests as "keeping fit" and "most types of day/night out".

HISTORICAL ECHOES

The five killings have prompted a murder investigation on a scale unprecedented in recent British history.

The case evokes that of Jack the Ripper, who was never found, and Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, who killed 13 women, mainly prostitutes, in northern England between 1975 and 1980.

The investigation began on Dec. 2 when 25-year-old Adams's body was found in a stream. Police discovered 19-year-old Nicol's body in the same stream on Dec. 8.