Tributes for Hong Kong-based Nils Horner, Sweden's 'Voice of Asia', shot dead in Kabul

Friends of Hong Kong-based Swedish journalist Nils Horner, shot dead on Tuesday in Afghanistan, have paid tribute to a man they described as a "true gentleman" who brought Asia to Sweden through his radio reports.

The 51-year-old, who was also a British national, was shot at close range in broad daylight in Kabul. A little-known Islamist militant group, Fidai Mahaz, claimed responsibility, alleging Horner was a British spy.

Swedish authorities have launched a probe into his death but say they will not interfere with the Afghan police's investigation. No suspects have been arrested.

The Swedish press have published dozens of tributes for a man known as the "voice of Asia" as regional correspondent for Swedish public radio since 2001.

One of his closest friends in Hong Kong, Swedish reporter Per Liljas, 31, said Horner was an idol for journalists of his generation.

"He was always on the spot, reporting from where it happened and talking to people on the ground, not focusing so much on the bigwigs but meeting with people, always combined with good analysis," Liljas said. "He was pretty much the voice of Asia for Sweden."

Liljas and his wife Kristina were with Horner last weekend after he invited the couple to his apartment in Mid-Levels, having made Hong Kong his base since December.