Investigators say VX killed Kim Jong-nam
Police reveal the poison used by the assassins of North Korean leader’s half brother was the odourless, tasteless and highly toxic banned substance |
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half brother was assassinated with a lethal nerve agent manufactured for chemical warfare and listed by the United Nations (UN) as a weapon of mass destruction, Malaysian police said yesterday.
Releasing a preliminary toxicology report on Kim Jong-nam’s murder at Kuala Lumpur airport, police revealed the poison used by the assassins was the odourless, tasteless and highly toxic VX. The news brought condemnation from South Korea, which slammed the use of the nerve agent as a “blatant violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and other international norms”.
Experts in the South said yesterday North Korea has up to 5,000 tonnes of chemical weapons stockpiled, including a supply of VX. Tiny amounts of the poison are enough to kill an adult, whether it is inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
“I am outraged that the criminals used such a dangerous chemical in a public area,” said Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar. “[It] could have caused mass injuries or even death to other people.”
One of the two women arrested after the attack fell ill in custody, police said, adding she had been vomiting.
National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar has previously said the woman who attacked Kim from behind clearly knew she was carrying out a poison attack, dismissing claims that she thought she was taking part in a TV prank.
“The lady was moving away with her hands towards the bathroom,” Khalid said earlier this week “She was very aware that it was toxic and that she needed to wash her hands.”
Khalid said experts would sweep the busy airport terminal where the attack took place for traces of the toxin as well as other locations the women had visited.
“We are investigating how [the VX] entered the country,” he told reporters. However, he added that “if the amount of the chemical brought in was small, it would be difficult for us to detect”.
Detectives are holding three people but want to speak to seven others, four of whom are believed to have fled to Pyongyang.
One man wanted for questioning, who is believed to be still in Malaysia, is senior North Korean embassy official Hyon Kwang Song. Police have acknowledged that his diplomatic status prevents them from questioning him unless he surrenders himself.
North Korea, which has not acknowledged the dead man’s identity, has vehemently protested at the investigation, saying Malaysia is in cahoots with its enemies.
Its ambassador Kang Chol has said Pyongyang “cannot trust” the Malaysian police to prosecute their probe fairly.
He was told yesterday to shut up or face the prospect of being kicked out of the country.