Beijing ( CNN ) -- For hours , China 's micro-blogging community was abuzz with anxious tweets : an important announcement would be released at 6:30 or 7 p.m. on the official China Central Television ( CCTV ) . The news release , sources said , would be about the latest development on Bo Xilai , the popular but controversial official who last month was sacked as Communist Party chief of Chongqing , China 's biggest metropolis . The 7 p.m. bulletin passed and there was no news release on Bo . Tune in at 10 p.m. , sources advised . 10 p.m. passed and still no news on Bo . Finally , at 11 p.m. , China 's mainstream official Xinhua new agency announced that Bo had been stripped of his top Communist Party posts for an unspecified `` serious breach of ( Communist Party ) discipline . '' The terse news item identified Bo as `` Comrade Bo Xilai , '' signaling that he has not been expelled from the party , but said Bo is still under intra-party investigation . The other news was just as shocking . Bo 's wife , Gu Kailai , and family aide Zhang Xiaojun have been arrested in connection with the mysterious death of British businessman Neil Heywood . Bo 's wife and Heywood , the Xinhua report said , were on good terms but `` they had conflict over economic interests . '' Chinese official 's wife arrested in Briton 's death . The death of the British businessman , who was found in his hotel room in Chongqing on November 15 last year , has emerged as a key link in an unfolding story of intrigue and suspicion . Heywood 's death was originally blamed on alcohol poisoning or heart attack , but the case was reopened after reports of possible foul play emerged . The British government sought a new investigation . Asked if there were updates on the re-investigation of Heywood 's death , foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin replied : `` As regards the case of death of the British national Neil Heywood , the relevant information has been publicized and the case has entered the legal process . The justice department will handle it according to law . '' Liu said a Chinese foreign ministry official Tuesday night separately briefed officials of the British and U.S. embassies in Beijing . The April 10 announcement may mark the end of Bo 's political career , experts say , but not the end of the biggest political crisis to hit the Communist Party in more than two decades . Bo 's dismissal has triggered political in-fighting in the Communist Party ahead of the once-in-a decade political transition in autumn this year . China 's leaders are keen to project an image of unity and harmony in the leadership . So why the delay in official reports ? Hours before the news release Tuesday , Chinese sources say , Communist Party officials , from the top tiers of leadership down , were told of the impending news in closed-door briefings . `` Officials decided to tell more people in the grassroots and that process took longer , '' says a Chinese source . `` The announcement is meant to curb rumors and speculations . '' Bo 's problems began when he fell out with Chongqing police chief , Wang Lijun , who sought refuge briefly in the U.S. consulate in Chengdu in February . In a commentary published Wednesday , official newspaper The Global Times wrote : `` The past two months , there have been a lot of various rumors , but if we look at the whole process , the handling of the unexpected case of Wang Lijun shows that China has strong predictability . It can not be easily disrupted by some accident or uncertainty . '' Still , the commentary can not hide the sense of anxiety among officials in charge of news in the mainstream media . Hours before the news on Bo was read by CCTV announcers , producers at the network received by mobile text messaging an urgent notice : `` All producers and section chiefs must inform all staff , including freelancers , before 10 p.m. tonight : no one should use weibo and other Internet tools to forward any untruthful statements . Whether or not they were sent by real-name or anonymous bloggers . This is about news discipline ! Please strictly and seriously abide . ''
Bo Xilai stripped of Communist Party posts for unspecified `` serious breach of ( Communist Party ) discipline '' Popular but controversial official was sacked The past two months as Communist Party chief of Beijing . His wife , Gu Kailai , and a family aide arrested in connection with mysterious death of Chinese businessman . Gu Kailai 's dismissal has triggered political in-fighting in Communist Party ahead of political transition .