Probe in full swing
Experts sweep crime scene for toxic material
The police are on a round-the-clock mode to investigate the assassination of Kim Jong-nam. At press time, a Hazmat (hazardous materials) team and others are at KLIA2 for an operation scheduled to start well after midnight. They are likely to carry out a sweep of the crime scene to find out if there are traces of the VX nerve agent – the deadly chemical that killed Jong-nam.
SEPANG: The usually bustling KLIA2 departure hall fell silent as large sections of the terminal were cordoned off to allow chemical experts to look for traces of toxic chemicals.
Early this morning, curious travellers looked on as police and other agencies conducted a sweep of the path Kim Jongnam took on Feb 13.
It covered four areas – the departure hall where he was attacked, two toilets, and the clinic where he was taken to.
The process, which took more than an hour, was done by teams from the Atomic Energy Licensing Board, Fire and Rescue Department, including Hazmat (hazardous materials) team, and the Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Explosive (CBRNe) of the police.
A Hazmat team, minus equipment, was spotted at the airport as early as 8pm yesterday, while the police were there since noon.
Bukit Aman issued a statement yesterday evening to explain a joint operation to detect the presence of toxic chemicals at the airport after Jongnam’s death was revealed to have been caused by a toxic chemical.
At about 11pm yesterday, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) staff and police began cordoning off parts of KLIA2 departure hall.
The quarantined area was later extended to parts of the arrival hall and the Gateway mall on Level 2.
By midnight, large swathes of the depar ture and arrival areas had been blocked off as the number of travellers departing and arriving dwindled for the day.
Airport staff were stationed at the departure and arrival halls to guide travellers.
Inside, team members retraced Jongnam’s every step as captured on CCTV – from the point he approached the self checkin counter, the moment the attack took place and when he was escorted to the clinic after complaining to an airport employee of pain in his face.
Jongnam was killed after two female suspects allegedly wiped a deadly chemical on his face on the morning of Feb 13 while he was waiting for a flight to Macau.