Four North Korean suspects fled Malaysia after airport murder

CULPRIT: Seoul believes Pyongyang involved in Kim Jong Nam’s murder

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police said four suspects linked to the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged halfbrother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, have fled the country.

“I confirm today the perpetrators, the four suspects are from North Korea [without diplomatic passports] have left our country on the same day [of Kim Jong Nam’s killing],” said police inspector Noor Rashid Ibrahim at a press conference on Sunday.

In addition to the four suspects who fled the country, police are looking for three other new suspects, whose pictures were displayed at the conference.

Of these three, one has already been identified as a North Korean national. Malaysia also shot back at North Korea’s allegations that authorities were purposely delaying the investigation, including the release of Kim Jong Nam’s remains.

“North Korea can say anything but as far as we are concerned we follow the legal requirements of our country,” Noor Rashid said.

Kim Jong Nam, the 45-year-old eldest of former president Kim Jong Il’s three sons, had been due to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Macau on Monday but was apparently killed when he was sprayed with a poisonous substance at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Malaysian police previously said the investigation can’t be concluded until the person’s family forward to identify him.

Authorities are waiting on pathology and toxicology test results to determine the exact cause of death.

Noor Rashid mentioned that Malaysian authorities are not investigating based on politics but merely trying to understand why the killing took place in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, South Korea said on Sunday that Malaysia’s investigation into the murder of the North Korean leader’s half-brother shows that the Pyongyang government was behind the assassination. comes

“Based on various factors, our government is certain that the dead man is Kim Jong Nam, and considering that the five suspects are North Korean nationals, we view that the North Korean government is behind the incident,” said Seoul’s unification ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-Hee. Jeong declined to provide further details, citing the continuing probe in Malaysia.

“As North Korea has been committing inhumane crimes and acts of terror, we are keeping a close eye on the latest incident with grave concern,” Jeong said.

— AFP Royal Malaysian Police Deputy Inspector-General Noor Rashid Ibrahim (L) looks on as Selangor State Police Chief Abdul Samah Mat (R) points to a journalist during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

— Reuters Suspects Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong (top L), North Korean Ri Jong Chol (top R), Indonesian Siti Aisyah (bottom L) and Malaysian Muhammad Farid Bin Jallaludin (bottom R) are seen in this combination of undated handouts released by the Royal Malaysia...