LOS ANGELES, Sept 29, 2007 (AFP) - A man who tried to extort money from Tom Cruise with stolen photos of the star's Italian wedding to actress Katie Holmes has been found dead, US authorities said on Saturday.

David Hans Schmidt, 47, 'was found dead in his home around 3 p.m. (2100 GMT) Friday' in Phoenix, Arizona, said Lieutenant Anthony Lopez, spokesman for the Phoenix Police Department.

The Arizona Republic reported on its website that Schmidt had committed suicide, quoting his brother who said the publicist had suffered from depression.

LOS ANGELES, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - A second person has been arrested in connection with an attempt to extort money from actor Tom Cruise by trying to sell him stolen pictures of his Italian wedding to actress Katie Holmes, authorites said Friday.

Stephen Tidwell, the head of the office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation here, named the second suspect as 33-year-old Mark Gittleman, who was taken into custody late Thursday.

On Thursday, the FBI arrested David Hans Schmidt, 47, suspected of involvement in the same case.

BERLIN, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise and his ex-wife Nicole Kidman will be working on separate films in Berlin from September, German daily Bild reported on Friday.

Cruise earlier this month began shooting 'Valkyrie', a film about a failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1944, in which he portrays Nazi-resistance hero Count Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg.

Shooting is set to continue until the end of October.

LOS ANGELES, July 26, 2007 (AFP) - The FBI has arrested a man who tried to blackmail Tom Cruise for 'seven figures' with stolen pictures of his Italian wedding to Katie Holmes, a lawyer for Hollywood`s highest paid megastar said.

David Hans Schmidt, 47, was in a Los Angeles jail Thursday after his arrest on Tuesday and court appearance Wednesday, Federal Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told AFP.