NEW YORK, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Prominent Portuguese journalist Carlos Castro, 65, was killed at a luxury Manhattan hotel, police said on Saturday, and news reports said he had been castrated and was left lying in a pool of blood.

A man was being held as a “person of interest” at New York’s Bellevue psychiatric hospital, a police spokeswoman said on Saturday. A police source identified him as Renato Seabra.

The New York Times quoted detectives as saying Seabra, a model from Portugal who recently appeared on a modeling reality show, had checked into the hotel with Castro about10 days ago.

Police found the body of a 65-year-old man in his room at the Intercontinental Hotel, located a few blocks from Times Square, after being called to the hotel early Friday evening, the police spokeswoman said. The police source identified him as Castro.

The spokeswoman said the victim had injuries to the head but declined to confirm other details reported in the media. “The medical examiner will determine the cause of death,” she said.

The New York Post and other media said Castro had been beaten and his testicles were cut off, possibly with a broken wine glass.

The Post quoted police sources as saying that Seabra went to a local hospital with slashed wrists later on Friday night. He was taken from there to Bellevue, it said.

The Times, citing officials, said detectives had taken Seabra, 20, into custody and had him under guard at Bellevue on Saturday.

Castro was born in Angola during Portugal’s colonial rule in the African nation. He contributed to a wide range of media, including Diario de Noticias, 24 Horas and Correio de Manha, according to his website. (Reporting by Claudia Parsons; Editing by Paul Simao)