2 more nabbed over murder of N. Korean leader’s half brother
kuala lumpur — Malaysian authorities announced two more arrests on Thursday in the death of the North Korean leader’s half brother, whose apparent assassination this week unleashed a wave of speculation and intrigue: a pair of female assailants, a broad-daylight killing and a dictator-sibling out for blood.
Investigators were still piecing together details of the case, including the widespread assumption that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un despatched a hit squad to kill his estranged half brother, Kim Jong-nam. Known for his love of gambling and casinos, Kim Jong-nam had lived abroad for years, aware he was a hunted man.
Three suspects — two women and a man — were arrested separately on Wednesday and Thursday. The women were identified using surveillance videos from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where Kim Jong-nam, who was 45 or 46, suddenly fell ill on Monday morning.
Malaysian officials said he died on the way to a hospital after telling medical workers at the airport that he had been sprayed with a chemical.
Multiple South Korean media reports, citing unidentified sources, said two women believed to be North Korean agents killed him with some kind of poison before fleeing in a taxi.
One of the female suspects had Vietnamese travel documents and was picked up on Wednesday at the budget terminal of the airport, the same place where the attack took place. The other woman held an Indonesian passport and was arrested early on Thursday. Indonesian diplomats met with that suspect and confirmed she is an Indonesian citizen, officials said. Authorities identified her as Siti Aisyah, 25, originally from Serang in Banten, a province that neighbors the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.
Indonesian Immigration Office spokesman Agung Sampurno said officials from the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur met with the woman in Selangor state, where she is being held, and ensured she is in safe condition.
“They were allowed to see her but cannot make any questions,” said Sampurno. “However, the team can confirm that Aisyah is Indonesian.” — AP