Kim Assassination: Malaysian Police Seek North Korean Diplomat for Questioning

The Malaysian investigation is still under way and we have been very transparent.

On Monday night Jong-nam’s son Kim Han-sol was due to arrive in Kuala Lumpur from Macau, local media and intelligence sources said, but AFP was not immediately able to verify his presence. The country has refused to hand over the remains to North Korea until it is claimed by a family member. But there was no sign of him.

Malaysian authorities refuse to hand over the body to the Kim family as North Korea have not provided DNA for positive identification. He demanded Malaysia turn over the body.

At least three of the wanted North Koreans caught an Emirates flight to Dubai from Jakarta late on the day of the attack, an immigration official in Indonesia told Reuters.

The initial results of the autopsy ruled out a heart attack and did not show any evidence of puncture wounds on the body. Kim died later after telling airport personnel that he had been sprayed in the face with a liquid. He then walks alongside as they lead him to the airport clinic.

A auto with North Korean embassy tags visited a central police office for around a half-hour Wednesday afternoon, according to Malaysia’s The Star news agency, which adds that the car’s occupants ignored a flock of journalists who were seeking comment.

The chemical could have originated from a North Korea biotechnology center, a South Korean activist said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, South Korea has said from the start that Pyongyang was behind the Kim’s death, citing a “standing order” from Kim Jong-un to kill his elder sibling, and a failed assassination bid in 2012.

“At the moment we can not trust the investigation by the Malaysian police”, ambassador Kang Chol told reporters after talks at the foreign ministry.

“The statement by the ambassador was totally uncalled for”.

Mr Khalid told reporters he thought the attack was well-planned. He also expressed “absolute confidence” in the objectivity of the investigation.

“We’re still waiting for next of kin to come to us”, he said, adding that an autopsy report was still pending more than a week after the murder.

Both suspects are still in Malaysia, he added.

The attack “showed the reckless and brutal nature of the North Korean government”, South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn said Monday during a National Security Council meeting.

THE SUSPECTS: Surveillance video showed two women walking up to Kim Jong Nam at an airport kiosk, holding something over his face for a few seconds, then walking away.

The two had practiced for the attack at the KLCC and Pavilion shopping centers in Kuala Lumpur, he alleged.

The man who has been arrested is 47-year-old Ri Jong Chol, who is said to have a background in chemistry and to have studied in India. The state airline used to fly between Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur, but the route was suspended in 2014.

The 21-year-old son has been under China’s protection with his other family members in Macau.

North Korea insisted the women were telling the truth, without revealing how it knew that.

Khalid said the women knew they were handling poisonous materials and “were warned to take precautions”.