The autopsy of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half brother Kim Jong-nam was completed on Wednesday. Kim Jong-nam was reportedly poisoned to death by two women assassins at the Malaysian airport on Monday. Now, the police picked up a second suspect in the wee hours of Thursday.
Kim Jong Un's brother murdered in Malaysia, US suspects North Korea behind it
It is not clear whether Malaysia intends to make the autopsy report public. North Korea had objected to the autopsy and demanded his body be returned to the nation. However, Malaysia went ahead with the procedure despite Pyongyang's objection as the nation had not submitted a formal protest, a senior Malaysian police official Abdul Samah Mat said.
The United States strongly suspects the hand of Pyongyang agents behind the murder. The authorities are yet to determine exactly how Kim Jong Nam was murdered, according to Reuters. Speculations are rife that the North Korea has sent a hit squad to do away with Kim Jong-un.
Reports state the autopsy was completed on Wednesday, few hours after police arrested a suspect in the case, a 28-year-old woman who was carrying Vietnamese travel documents bearing the name Doan Thi Huong. The woman was detained at the budget terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where Kim Jong Nam fell ill on Monday morning. It is still not clear whether the information on her passport is genuine. Malaysian police said the suspect was identified through a surveillance video from the airport.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed the detention of the second woman to Malaysia's Bernama news agency but did not provide any further details. He said the official statement will be issued later on Thursday, according to AFP reports.
The official added that Kim had been planning to travel to Macau on Monday when he fell ill at the terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). "The deceased ... felt like someone grabbed or held his face from behind. He felt dizzy, so he asked for help at the ... counter of KLIA," Malaysian police spokesperson Fadzil Ahmat said.
Kim was then taken to an airport clinic where he repeatedly complained of distress before authorities decided to take him to a hospital. He died in the ambulance on his way to Putrajaya Hospital, according to Fadzil.
