A Danish submarine maker accused of killing a Swedish journalist has denied a new charge of mutilating her body.
Peter Madsen is being held in custody over the death of 30-year-old Kim Wall, who was last seen alive on board his homemade submarine the day before it sank off Copenhagen's coastline on August 11th.
He was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter the day after Ms Wall disappeared, but insists she died in an accident before he buried her at sea.
Madsen (46) is now also facing a fresh charge of abuse of a corpse following the discovering of Ms Wall's headless and naked torso earlier this week.
Police said the journalist's limbs had been "deliberately cut off", while metal had been attached to the body and "deliberate damage" inflicted.
Her blood was found inside Madsen's 18-metre Nautilus submarine, which he is believed to have sank intentionally.
A private submarine sits on a pier in Copenhagen Harbour, Denmark. Missing Swedish journalist Kim Wall is believed to have died on the private submarine | Image: Jens Dresling/AP/Press Association Images
"The suspect denies homicide and desecration of a human body," Copenhagen police said in a statement on Friday.
Madsen, who can be held until 5 September without an extension to his custody, is to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Detectives also announced they have suspended the search for Ms Wall's remaining body parts in the waters between Denmark and Sweden, although divers are still searching the area around the harbour where Madsen was taken after being rescued from his craft.
Police, who have received hundreds of tip-offs, did not say why they had halted the wider hunt but added they were ready to restart the search if necessary.
On Thursday, a possible body part was found in waters near Falsterbo, Sweden, although police said it was too early to say whether the discovery could be connected to the investigation into Ms Wall's death.
The public are being urged to keep an eye out for the clothes Ms Wall was wearing when she went missing - an orange turtleneck blouse, a black and white skirt and white trainers.
"We also still want to hear from people who can make us more aware of the people involved and their behaviour," the police statement added.
Ms Wall's family have said she was working on a story about Madsen when she went to interview him on board his craft.
The death of the journalist - a freelancer who wrote for publications such as The New York Times, Harper's Magazine and The Guardian - has led detectives to review a 1986 case when body parts of a Japanese tourist were found in bags at separate locations in the waters around Copenhagen.
