8 now sought after N Korean’s murder

MALAYSIAN police are searching for a diplomat and an airline employee, taking to eight the number of North Koreans suspected in the involvement in the assassination of the half brother of the reclusive nation’s leader.

In the latest twist in a plot straight out of a movie, an attempted break-in was reported at the hospital morgue where Kim Jong Nam’s body is being held – against North Korea’s wishes. Photos from the scene showed heavy security around the hospital, with armed men in SWAT-like gear.

Speculation over the killing of Kim Jong Nam had centred on his estranged half-brother’s regime in Pyongyang, and evidence is mounting that North Korea may have been behind the attack at Kuala Lumpur airport on February 13. Malaysian police want to speak to Hyon Kwang Song, the second secretary at the North Korean embassy, and Kim Uk Il, who works for Air Koryo. The state airline used to fly between Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur, but the route was suspended.

Both were believed to be still in Malaysia, said Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar.