Two more arrested over Kim Jong-nam killing
Thursday - February 16, 2017 8:37 pm ,
Category : WORLD
Kuala Lumpur:Two more suspects were arrested in connection with the killing of the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the police said.
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Police said Siti Aishah, who holds an Indonesian passport, had been apprehended on the basis of CCTV footage. Her Malaysian boyfriend, Muhammad Farid bin Jalaluddin, 26, was remanded in custody a day earlier.
Kim, the 46-year-old half-brother to Kim Jong Un and one-time heir apparent to the Kim dynasty, was attacked in Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday while waiting to board a flight to Macau, deputy Malaysian prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed on Thursday.
Kim was approached from behind by a young woman, wearing white, who covered his face with a wet rag in what police believe to be a poisoning attempt. A postmortem examination has been concluded but it is unclear when or whether the results will be released.
A second woman, named as Doan Thi Huong, 28, who carries a Vietnam passport, was also arrested on Wednesday. Police said they were assessing whether her travel documents were genuine. They believed more suspects remained at large.
Kim’s death is widely believed to have been instigated by Pyongyang. The reclusive regime had an outstanding order for him to be killed for the past five years, according to Lee Byung-ho, director of the South Korean National Intelligence Service.
Murder reveals nature of N Korean leader
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Malaysia would return Kim’s body at Pyongyang’s request, although there were “procedures to be followed”, Mr Hamidi said, adding that Malaysia’s policy “is that we have to honour our bilateral relations with any foreign country”.
One person with knowledge of the situation said North Korea had requested that the body be returned before a postmortem examination, but that the request had been rejected.
After surviving an assassination attempt in 2012, Kim Jong Nam wrote to Kim Jong Un and begged him to spare his life and those of his family, the spy chief said on Wednesday.
Fears are growing that Pyongyang may target Kim Jong Nam’s son, who like his late father has repeatedly and publicly criticised North Korea.
Authorities suspect a total of four men and two women were involved in the killing, according to Malaysian media reports.
At one point, Kim Jong Nam was considered the likely heir to the late North Korean “Dear Leader”, Kim Jong Il. However, his fortunes faded after running foul of his father for preaching market reforms.
In 2001 he was arrested in Japan for using a fake Dominican Republic passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland, an embarrassing incident that experts say may have marked the end of his political ambitions.
Since at least 2003 he lived in exile, mostly in Macau where he was a feature of the city’s gambling and nightlife districts. He was known to be an affable individual who often spoke of his desire to improve living standards in the impoverished north-east Asian nation.
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Police said Siti Aishah, who holds an Indonesian passport, had been apprehended on the basis of CCTV footage. Her Malaysian boyfriend, Muhammad Farid bin Jalaluddin, 26, was remanded in custody a day earlier.
Kim, the 46-year-old half-brother to Kim Jong Un and one-time heir apparent to the Kim dynasty, was attacked in Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday while waiting to board a flight to Macau, deputy Malaysian prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed on Thursday.
Kim was approached from behind by a young woman, wearing white, who covered his face with a wet rag in what police believe to be a poisoning attempt. A postmortem examination has been concluded but it is unclear when or whether the results will be released.
A second woman, named as Doan Thi Huong, 28, who carries a Vietnam passport, was also arrested on Wednesday. Police said they were assessing whether her travel documents were genuine. They believed more suspects remained at large.
Kim’s death is widely believed to have been instigated by Pyongyang. The reclusive regime had an outstanding order for him to be killed for the past five years, according to Lee Byung-ho, director of the South Korean National Intelligence Service.
Murder reveals nature of N Korean leader
Play
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https://www.ft.com/content/b7819374-f3f6-11e6-8758-6876151821a6
Malaysia would return Kim’s body at Pyongyang’s request, although there were “procedures to be followed”, Mr Hamidi said, adding that Malaysia’s policy “is that we have to honour our bilateral relations with any foreign country”.
One person with knowledge of the situation said North Korea had requested that the body be returned before a postmortem examination, but that the request had been rejected.
After surviving an assassination attempt in 2012, Kim Jong Nam wrote to Kim Jong Un and begged him to spare his life and those of his family, the spy chief said on Wednesday.
High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our T&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights.
Authorities suspect a total of four men and two women were involved in the killing, according to Malaysian media reports.
At one point, Kim Jong Nam was considered the likely heir to the late North Korean “Dear Leader”, Kim Jong Il. However, his fortunes faded after running foul of his father for preaching market reforms.
In 2001 he was arrested in Japan for using a fake Dominican Republic passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland, an embarrassing incident that experts say may have marked the end of his political ambitions.
Since at least 2003 he lived in exile, mostly in Macau where he was a feature of the city’s gambling and nightlife districts. He was known to be an affable individual who often spoke of his desire to improve living standards in the impoverished north-east Asian nation.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2017. All rights reserved. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.
IANS
