Malaysia arrests female suspect linked to assassination of North Korean leader’s half-brother Kim Jong-nam

Senior Malaysian police personnel walk outside the forensics wing at the Kuala Lumpur hospital, where the body of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is being kept, in the Malaysian capital, February 15, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Malaysia has arrested a female suspect in possession of a Vietnamese passport in connection with the assassination of North Korean leader’s half-brother in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian Inspector General Khalid Abu Bakar issued a statement on Wednesday announcing that the suspect had been taken into custody at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, identifying her as 29-year-old Doan Thi-huong, as indicated on her passport.

Abu Bakar’s statement further said that the detained suspect was “positively identified from the CCTV footage at the airport and was alone at the time of arrest.”

South Korea said on Tuesday that Kim Jong-nam, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half-brother, had been assassinated the day before at the Malaysian airport.

Malaysian pathologists in Kuala Lumpur examined the body of Kim for clues on how he died while police authorities continued hunting for the assassins.

South Korean intelligence authorities said that he was most likely killed by poisoning.

South Korea’s intelligence chief Lee Byung-ho said two female assassins attacked Kim on Monday morning as he was preparing to board a flight to Macau, where he has spent many years in exile.

Malaysian police also said that Kim, 46, was walking through the departure hall at Kuala Lumpur International Airport when he was attacked.

A North Korean embassy car leaves the forensics wing at the Kuala Lumpur hospital in the Malaysian capital, February 15, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

“He told the receptionist... someone had grabbed his face from behind and splashed some liquid on him,” said Selangor State’s criminal investigation chief Fadzil Ahmat.

“He asked for help and was immediately sent to the airport’s clinic. At this point, he was experiencing headache and was on the verge of passing out,” Fadzil added. “At the clinic, the victim experienced a mild seizure. He was put into an ambulance and was being taken to the Putrajaya Hospital when he was pronounced dead.”

It was not clear why he had been assassinated and who was behind the killing.