Guns, crystal meth and body found in freezer in Bangkok police raid

Three foreign men have been charged in Thailand after a police officer was shot during a raid which also uncovered a body hidden in a padlocked freezer.

Officers found guns, crystal meth, fake passports and the man's body, which had been separated into pieces, during the raid on a building in Bangkok.

Police said the body is that of a blond foreigner. Forensic officers are working to identify him.

Photos in local media showed British and American passports alongside three handguns seized in the raid.

Surachet Hakpan, commander of Thailand's tourist police, said the three suspects spoke English but police are still working to verify their nationalities.

Police said the men are suspected of belonging to a passport forgery ring.

"They are charged on five counts including attempting to kill an official on duty, resisting arrest, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, forging official documents and concealing a corpse," said Chanin Vachirapraneekul, commander of the police station in Bangkok's Phra Khanong district.

The men, two of whom have grey hair according to photos published in local media, have denied all the charges.

The drama unfolded on Friday afternoon, when police attended the four-storey property in the country's capital.

One of the men initially opened the door to officers. However, upon realising it was a raid, he grabbed a gun and reportedly started shooting.

Mr Hakpan said one officer was injured. Local media has said the officer is in a stable condition.

"Tourism police investigated and found out that international criminals were staying at that place and using it to do wrong things," he told reporters in Thailand.

The body, which had been bagged and separated into pieces, was discovered inside a large padlocked freezer on the first floor, Mr Hakpan said.

A Burmese couple was detained with the group, but have not been been charged with any crime and are being treated as witnesses, police said.

The couple told officers they were hired to clean the building three times a week and ordered not to open or move the freezer where the dead body was found.

The current junta government has vowed to crack down on foreign criminals in Thailand, in an operation immigration police have reportedly named 'Good guys in, bad guys out'.

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