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Malaysian police looking for four North Koreans over Kim Jong-nam killing Kim Jong-nam killing: police seek four North Korean suspects
(about 3 hours later)
Investigators are looking for four North Korean men who flew out of Malaysia the same day Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea’s leader, was poisoned at an airport in Kuala Lumpur, according to Malaysian police. Malaysian police are seeking four North Korean men who left the country on the same day that Kim Jong-nam, the North Korean leader’s half-brother, was apparently assassinated with fast-acting poison at Kuala Lumpur airport.
Since Kim’s death last week, authorities have been trying to piece together details of what appeared to be an assassination. Malaysian police have so far arrested four people carrying IDs from North Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. The killing, which investigators believe may have been an elaborate political hit job, has led to a diplomatic face-off between the two countries and refocused attention on Pyongyang, one of the world’s most isolated regimes with nuclear capabilities.
One of those in custody, an Indonesian woman, told investigators she was duped into thinking she was part of a TV comedy show prank. Police have arrested four people carrying identification documents from North Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. The Indonesian woman has said she was duped into playing a role in the killing, believing she was part of a television comedy prank.
On Sunday, Malaysia’s deputy national police chief, Noor Rashid Ibrahim, said four more suspects were on the run. He said the men were North Korean and had flown out of the country last Monday, when Kim died. In the first police press conference since Kim died almost a week ago, Malaysia’s deputy national police chief, Noor Rashid Ibrahim, said four more suspects were on the run.
“I am not going disclose where they are,” he told journalists, adding that Interpol was helping with the investigation. “I am not going disclose where they are,” he said, adding that Malaysia had filed information requests with Interpol, the global intelligence sharing organisation.
Noor Rashid showed photographs of the four men, who were travelling on regular, rather than diplomatic, passports and were aged 33, 34, 55 and 57. He said there was a fifth North Korean man whom authorities wanted to question. He showed photographs of the men, identified as Ri Ji-hyon, 33, Hong Song-hac, 34, O Jong-gil, 55, and Ri Jae-nam, 57.
Kim was waiting for his flight home to Macau when, authorities say, he was attacked by two women. He sought help at a customer service desk, saying that two unidentified women had swabbed or wiped his face with a liquid and that he felt dizzy, Noor Rashid said on Sunday. All four travelled into Malaysia on regular, rather than diplomatic, passports and spent less than a month in the country, leaving the same day that Kim died. Noor Rashid said police also wanted to question a fifth North Korean man, aged 30, who was not a suspect.
Kim died on the way to hospital after having a seizure, officials say. Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of the late dictator Kim Jong-Il, spent much of his life outside North Korean. He kept a low profile when his younger half-brother, Kim Jong-un, took power in 2011 and began a series of purges, some fatal, against senior members of his inner circle.
Noor Rashid said he expected the postmortem results to be released within days. “We have to send a sample to the chemistry department, we have to send a sample for toxicology tests,” he said. Waiting for a flight home to Macau last Monday morning, Kim Jong-nam was attacked by two women, one of whom was wearing a top with the letters LOL on the front. He rushed to the customer service desk and complained that the women had swabbed or wiped his face with liquid and he felt dizzy, Noor Rashid said.
Investigators also want to speak to Kim’s next of kin to formally identify the body. He is believed to have two sons and a daughter with two women, one living in Beijing and the other in Macau. Kim died en route to hospital after suffering a seizure, officials say. A photo of Kim slumped on a chair in the medical centre at Kuala Lumpur international airport was published in the local New Straits Times over the weekend.
“We haven’t met the next of kin,” Noor Rashid said. “We are trying very hard to get the next of kin to come and to assist us in the investigation.” In your Sunday Times today! pic.twitter.com/OlN3s4ZWFJ
The case has raised tensions between Malaysia and North Korea. Pyongyang demanded custody of Kim’s body and strongly objected to a postmortem. The Malaysians went ahead anyway, saying they were simply following procedure. To the dismay of the North Korean embassy, which demanded Malaysia immediately release the body without an autopsy, samples were taken for pathology and toxicology tests, which will be released in the next few days.
Kang Chol, North Korea’s ambassador to Malaysia, said Malaysia may be “trying to conceal something” and that the postmortem was carried out “unilaterally and excluding our attendance”. “We are trying very hard to get the next of kin to come and assist us in the investigation,” said Noor Rashid. Friends of Kim have said the family has become unreachable and may have gone into hiding.
South Korea has been quick to blame its enemies in the North for Kim’s death. Late on Friday North Korea’s ambassador Kang Chol threatened Malaysia, saying his country would file a case to the international court, without elaborating on which court. He said Malaysia may be “trying to conceal something”.
“Considering North Korea has so far committed crimes against humanity and terror acts, we, together with the international community, are closely watching this brutal, reckless incident with serious concerns,” its unification ministry spokesman, Jeong Joon-hee, told reporters. Officials from South Korea and the US, enemies of North Korea for decades, believe Kim was killed by agents sent from Pyongyang. He had spoken out publicly against his family’s dynastic control.
Kim is believed to have had two sons and a daughter. He lived in Macau, where South Korean intelligence said he received protection from the Chinese government, which has an uneasy but sometimes cooperative relationship with North Korea.
Reuters and AP contributed to this report