Kim’s regime accused of brother’s murder
NORTH KOREA was behind an audacious plot to kill the estranged halfbrother of its leader Kim Jong-un, the prosecution in the trial over the murder alleged yesterday.
Kim Jong-nam, 45, was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb 13 by two young Asian women who smeared his face with VX, a chemical weapon the United Nations has described as a weapon of mass destruction.
They have been charged with murder, along with four unnamed North Koreans who left Malaysia for Pyongyang on the day of the killing.
Only the two female suspects, Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Doan Thi Huong, 28, from Vietnam, appeared yesterday at the opening day of the trial at the Shah Alam High Court, Kuala Lumpur, both wearing flak jackets.
They have pleaded not guilty to murder, claiming they believed they were taking part in a TV prank show. They face the death penalty if convicted.
Opening the prosecution, Muhamad Iskander Ahmad rejected their version of events, claiming their actions showed their “intention to kill” and that they had practised for the hit.
Prosecutors accused the four North Koreans of helping the women carry out several practice runs in Kuala Lumpur shopping malls before they attacked Mr Kim as he checked in for a morning flight to Macau. “The prank practice carried out by the first and second accused with the supervision of the four who are still at large was preparation to see through their common intention to kill the victim,” the prosecution said.
Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, one of the lawyers representing Ms Huong, has said that the absence of the four North Korean suspects left a “big gap” in the prosecution’s case. Following the opening proceedings, he told The Daily Telegraph the defence intended to blame North Korea during the course of the trial when “the appropriate witness takes the stand”.
South Korea and the US have accused the North of murdering Mr Kim, who had criticised the regime after falling out of favour with his father Kim Jong-il. It is believed his half-brother Kim Jongun saw him as a threat to his rule.