The torso of a Swedish journalist found on a beach off Copenhagen was intentionally weighed down, Danish police have said.

Kim Wall's body was discovered attached to a piece of metal "likely with the purpose to make it sink", said the city's police chief Jens Moeller Jensen.

Investigators also revealed the remains showed signs of attempts "to make sure air and gas inside should leave the body so that it would not rise from the seabed".

Earlier, police confirmed the torso belonged to the reporter who had been missing for nearly two weeks.

The arms, legs and head had been sawn from the body.


Image: Ms Wall was last seen aboard Peter Madsen's submarine on 10 August

The 30-year-old had not been seen since she was spotted on a 60ft homemade submarine on 10 August with Danish inventor Peter Madsen, who built the sub Nautilus.

The freelance journalist had met with Madsen to interview him for a feature story she was writing.

The decapitated, limbless torso was discovered in Koge Bay on Monday by a passing cyclist and DNA was compared to genetic material from relatives of Ms Wall.

"DNA match between torso and Kim Wall," Copenhagen Police tweeted on Wednesday, with Mr Jensen revealing at a news conference later that dried blood found inside the submarine also belonged to the journalist.

Divers are continuing to search for the other body parts.

Madsen, who has been accused of killing the journalist, initially told authorities he had dropped off Ms Wall in Copenhagen later on during the evening of 10 August.

He changed his story when he appeared in court two days later, saying she had died in an accident and he had buried her at sea.

Image: Madsen claims there was an accident on board his sub and he buried Ms Wall at sea

Madsen has been charged with manslaughter. He denies any wrongdoing.

Ms Wall was reported missing by her boyfriend in the early hours of 11 August and a search for the sub Nautilus was launched.

It resurfaced at around 10.30am, but sank soon afterwards and Madsen was rescued by the Danish Navy as it went down.

Police said it was sunk deliberately and found no one else on board the vessel. Madsen was arrested the same day.

Ms Wall was a respected freelance journalist who wrote for publications such as the New York Times, Harpers and the Guardian.

Her relatives said they had received the confirmation of her death "with boundless sadness and dismay".

"The tragedy has hit not only us and other families, but friends and colleagues all over the world," Ms Wall's family said in a statement.

The investigation into her death is being carried out behind closed doors and little information has been made public.