Mystery of London man found on raft off Norway

Police and immigration officials in several countries were still attempting to establish how a homeless man from London came to be discovered floating on a raft in the sea between Denmark and Norway.

The man, who has told Swedish police that his name is George Williams, was discovered in the Skagerrak Sea on 21 April. The Norwegian tanker that rescued him took him to Sweden, where he is now being held in an immigration hostel having applied for asylum.

Mr Williams, who was suffering from frostbite and dehydration, told police that he was thrown off another ship and spent four nights on the raft. He claims to have been a "stateless American" who had been living in London but was born in Cape Town in 1959. The American Church in London has said he was a regular at a soup kitchen it runs.

The church said he was usually smartly dressed, was "courteous and talkative", but gave few details about his past.