Inventor says journalist died in an accident on submarine
A DANISH inventor has claimed that a Swedish journalist died in an accident on board his submarine and that he threw her body in the sea.
Kim Wall, 30, a journalist writing a story about Peter Madsen, was last seen aboard his vessel on August 10 and yesterday a headless female torso was found at the water’s edge in Copenhagen.
Madsen initially claimed he last saw Ms Wall when he dropped her off on the tip of an island in the Danish capital. But the inventor, who has been accused of negligent manslaughter, has now said there was an accident on board the submarine that led to Ms Wall’s death, and he buried her at sea.
The court case is being carried out behind closed doors but the police revealed the inventor’s new explanation after a request from the defence and the prosecution.
Ms Wall, a freelance journalist, had written for Time, The Guardian and The New York Times. Danish and Swedish authorities have been searching for her after she failed to return from an interview with Madsen. He was res- cued by a private motorboat after the submarine sank and he swam to safety. Police now believe he deliberately sank the vessel. It was refloated and searched, and found to be empty.
TV2, the Danish broadcaster, showed images of Madsen as he was being interrogated after his rescue. Police said it was still too early to identify the new body – missing its head, legs and arms – which was found by a passing cyclist.
“It is clear that the police, like the media and everybody else, is speculating whether this female body is Kim Wall, but it is way too soon to tell,” said Jens Moller, Copenhagen police spokesman.
The body was sent for forensic analysis while divers continued to search the area where it was found.