May 19, 2024
Third person held over Kim Jong-Nam killing
Kim Jong-Un has purged other ‘traitors’, including his uncle
A third person has been arrested in connection with the apparent assassination of Kim Jong-Un’s half-brother.
Malaysian police said two women were detained separately on Wednesday and early on Thursday, and a Malaysian man was arrested on Wednesday evening.
The women were identified using CCTV from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where Mr Kim, 45, suddenly fell ill on Monday before he died on the way to hospital.
Two women are believed to be responsible for the killing – and they are thought to have used poisoned needles, a poisoned spray or a poison-laced cloth.
South Korean officials have said it was an assassination ordered by the North Korean regime.
The man arrested is believed to be the boyfriend of one of the women.
He provided information that led to the arrest of 25-year-old Siti Aishah, who was using Indonesian travel documents.
The other female suspect held Vietnamese travel papers bearing the name Doan Thi Huong, 28.
CCTV images from the airport show one of the suspects wearing a sweatshirt with “LOL” on the front.
The suspects are believed to have fled in a taxi after the attack.
North Korean diplomats, including the ambassador, turned up at Kim Jong-Nam’s post-mortem on Wednesday and demanded the body.
Malaysian officials refused, forcing a fleet of diplomatic cars to leave the hospital empty handed.
There is speculation it was an attempt at damage limitation – to prevent as much detail as possible becoming public about a state-sponsored murder.
:: North Korea’s long history of assassinations
Malaysia’s deputy PM has now confirmed the body will be handed over, but said there were “procedures to be followed”.
The results of the post-mortem have not been released.
Kim Jong-Nam was known to advocate reform of North Korea’s authoritarian regime and opposed its dynastic succession policy.
However, he never defected or led a campaign against his younger sibling.
South Korean intelligence chiefs believe his killing was an assassination ordered by Kim Jong-Un some time ago because he perceived his half-brother to be a threat.
They said there had been a failed attempt in 2012.
The North Korean leader has overseen a purge of various “traitors”, including his uncle General Jang Song-Thaek, who was executed by machine gun in December 2013.
Local media reports the woman in the yellow jumper is a suspect. Pic: CGTN
Kim Jong-Nam was the son of Song Hye-Rim, a South Korean-born actress who is believed to have been a mistress of Kim Jong-Il.
Understood to be heir apparent as eldest son, he was thought to have been overlooked after a botched attempt to enter Japan in May 2001 on a forged passport.
He claimed he wanted to visit Disney’s Tokyo resort, but the incident embarrassed his father and Kim Jong-Un was selected as his successor.
Following the scandal, Kim Jong-Nam and his family lived in Macau, Singapore and China. news.sky.com
