Kim Jong-nam: More arrests over airport poisoning

February/16 | pm:2:01 / No Comments 254 views

Two more suspects have been arrested in connection with the death of Kim Jong-nam, the brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in Malaysia.

A female Indonesian suspect and a Malaysian man thought to be her boyfriend were both detained on Thursday.

A woman travelling on a Vietnamese passport has also been detained.

Kim died on Monday after apparently being poisoned while waiting to board a flight in Kuala Lumpur.

Police say they have now finished their post-mortem examination, though the results have not yet been made public.

The two female suspects have been remanded in custody for seven days.

The inspector general of the Royal Malaysia police, Sri Khalid Bin Abu Bakar, said the second woman was detained on Thursday over the death of “a Korean male”.

She was identified from airport CCTV footage and had an Indonesian passport.

 

Malaysian Deputy PM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi formally confirmed on Thursday that the dead man, who was travelling under the name Kim Chol, was Kim Jong-nam, according to state news agency Bernama.

There is widespread speculation that North Korea was behind the killing, but there has been no proof.

North Korea is on Thursday celebrating what would have been the 75th birthday of Kim Jong-il, the late leader and father of both Kim Jong-nam and Kim Jong-un.

Kim Jong-un was seen attending a ruling party meeting on Wednesday. Footage aired on state media showed him grim-faced, reported South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, and he did not wave when he left, as is customary.

Malaysia ‘will return body’

Selangor Police Chief Abdul Samah Mat told the BBC the examination of Kim’s body was completed on Wednesday evening, but there has been no indication of whether the results will be made public.

The deputy prime minister said Malaysia would grant a request from North Korea for the body to be returned once police and medical procedures were completed.