Missing WikiLeaks associate's belongings found in Norway fjord

Personal effects belonging to a Dutch WikiLeaks associate who went missing in Norway three weeks ago have been found in a fjord, Norwegian police said Wednesday.

A fisherman found the objects floating in the water late Tuesday, police said in a statement, confirming the items "belong to the missing person" but providing no details about them due to the ongoing investigation.

Arjen Kamphuis, a 47-year-old cyber security expert, was last seen on August 20 leaving his hotel in the northern Norwegian town of Bodo, where he had been on holiday.

The objects were found near Kvaenflaget, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Bodo, in the waters of a fjord. Police and emergency crews have now begun searching the water and land in the area.

The disappearance, described as "strange" by WikiLeaks, has sparked numerous conspiracy theories on social media.

Police said they were examining three theories: a voluntary disappearance including a possible suicide, an accident, or a crime.

"We haven't made enough progress in the case to be able to eliminate or confirm any of these three theories," inspector Bjarte Walla told AFP. "We are keeping all options open."