Man with UK passport charged in Thailand over body-in-freezer

A man in possession of a British passport has been charged after a body was discovered chopped up in a freezer in Thailand.

The man was arrested with two other people at a building in Bangkok on Friday where firearms and ammunition were also found, Thai police said.

Two men, aged 33 and 66, were in possession of American passports, while a third man, whose age was not given, was found to have both British and US identification.

A police officer was injured during a shooting as the four-storey building was searched in the Phra Khanong district, deputy police chief spokesman Colonel Kissana Phathanacharoen said.

He said: "We managed to find a big freezer. We opened it and found a dead body inside it. The body was chopped into different parts. It was concealed in many rubbish bags and put in the freezer."

Col Kissana, who said he did not know the gender of the body or how long it had been there, said all three men were charged with a number of offences including concealment of a body, obstruction of justice and possession of fraudulent passports.

They are also charged with possession of drugs including Ketamine and Ice, also known as crystal meth.

Col Kissana said no court date has yet been set.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: "We are seeking further information from the local authorities following reports that a British national has been arrested in Thailand."