Kim wiped out North Koreans wash hands of implication

The latest instalments in the increasingly bizarre murder case came as it was revealed armed guards were now guarding Kim at the morgue after a break-in during which would-be thieves tried to steal his body.

Kim died on February 13 after being attacked at the airport by two women as he waited for a flight to Macau.

Leaked CCTV footage shows the chubby 45-year-old being approached by two women, one of whom grabs him from behind and shoves something over his face.

Police say the women – Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong – washed their hands soon after poisoning Kim before making their escape.

Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar said the women knew they were handling poisonous materials and “were warned to take precautions”.

Surveillance video showed both keeping their hands away from their bodies after the attack, he said, then going to bathrooms to wash.

But North Korea reacted with incredulity to the claim. Its Malaysian embassy asked if the toxins had been on their hands “then how is it possible that these female suspects could still be alive?”