Malaysian airport free of VX agent
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Sunday declared its international airport a “safe zone” after completing a sweep of the terminal where the estranged halfbrother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was assaulted with a deadly chemical last week.
Kim Jong Nam died on February 13 at Kuala Lumpur’s airport in what Malaysian police say was a well-planned hit by two women who wiped a liquid on Kim Jong Un’s face. Police revealed on Friday the banned chemical weapon VX nerve agent was used to kill Kim, raising the stakes significantly in the case.
The police forensic team, fire department and Atomic Energy Licensing Board swept the budget terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA2) on Sunday.
“We confirm, number one, there is no hazardous material found in KLIA2, number two, KLIA2 is free from any form of contamination of hazardous material and thirdly, KLIA2 is declared a safe zone,” Abdul Samat Mat, the police chief of Selangor state who is leading the investigation, told reporters at the airport.
The location of the assault was cordoned off during the sweep but the rest of the terminal remained open.
Since the incident, tens of thousands of people have passed through the terminal, with the location of the assault remaining accessible.
Malaysia’s health minister said the dose of nerve agent was so high that it killed Kim Jong Nam “within 15-20 minutes.”
Health minister Subramaniam Sathasivam said Kim Jong Nam fainted at the airport clinic and died in the ambulance while en route to a hospital, he said.
“VX only requires 10 milligrams to be absorbed into the system to be lethal, so I presume that the amount of dose that went in is more than that,” he told a news conference.
“The doses were so high and it did it so fast and all over the body so it would have affected his heart, it would have affected his lungs, it would have affected everything.”
Asked how long it took for Kim to die after he was attacked, Subramaniam said, “I would think it was about from the time of onset (of attack) ... within 15-20 minutes.”