MALAYSIAN police say four suspects allegedly behind the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea’s supreme leader, are believed to have fled the country immediately after the attack and were now hiding in Pyongyang.
The announcement comes as CCTV footage purportedly showing the deadly assault on Kim Jong Un’s half brother by a woman, who is believed to have wiped a fast-acting poison on his face, was released by Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV on Monday.
Quoting sources, The Star reported the suspects had flown to Jakarta, Indonesia before heading to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
From Dubai, the four boarded another flight to Vladivostok, Russia before reaching Pyongyang.
The police have named Rhi Ji-hyon, 33, Hong Song-hac, 34, O Jong-gil, 55, and Ri Jae-nam, 57, as the North Korean suspects still at large. The four men were said to have left for Jakarta from KLIA2, the scene of the crime, immediately after the attack last week.
The four had arrived separately in Malaysia in late January and early February, the police said.
“They may have taken the long route to shake off the authorities,” sources said, as quoted by The Star.
North Korean suspects Ri Jae Nam (front L), Hong Song Hac (back L) and Ri Ji Hyun (R) are seen in this undated handout released by the Royal Malaysia Police to Reuters on Feb 19, 2017. Pic: Reuters
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Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Rashid Ibrahim, was quoted as saying that the Malaysian police were working with Interpol to track the suspects and efforts were underway to collect all evidence related to the case.
“Next plan is to get them. We will use all resources to pursue them,” Noor Rashid said during a press conference.
Noor Rashid said police were also looking for North Korean citizen Ri Ji-u, 30, and two others in connection to the case.
North Korean suspect Ri Ji U is seen in this undated handout released by the Royal Malaysia Police to Reuters on Feb 19, 2017. Police identified Ri Ji U as a suspect in connection with the murder of Kim Jong Nam. Source: Royal Malaysia Police/Handout via Reuters.
Authorities say the exact deadly chemical that was used to kill Jong Nam was still unknown as they were awaiting the toxicology and pathological test results which is expected within the next few days. A post-mortem was performed on Jong Nam’s body on Feb 15 at the Kuala Lumpur general hospital.
Kim Jong Nam died last Monday a short time after the attack in the departure hall of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where he had been preparing to take a flight to Macau.
After the attack, Malaysian police detained four suspects – a Vietnamese woman, an Indonesian woman, a Malaysian man, and North Korean man.
The grainy closed circuit television footage, which has been released on several websites, showed from two different angles a woman wearing a white top grab a man’s face from behind with both hands and walk away.
A second woman was also seen walking swiftly away in another direction after the assault, though it was unclear if she had participated in the attack.
The portly, balding middle-aged man was seen stumbling and wiping his face after the assault, and later clips showed him seeking help from people while gesturing to his face and then being escorted to a clinic.
More footage showed him inside the clinic seeking medical assistance.
Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos, and police officials were not immediately available for comment.
In a press conference on Sunday, the police said the victim complained to the airport customer service personnel that two women had “wiped his face with a liquid”.
The killing has triggered a diplomatic spat between Malaysia and North Korea, which has opposed an autopsy and demanded that the body be handed over directly.
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South Korean and U.S. officials believe Kim Jong Nam was killed by agents from the reclusive North.
South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn told a meeting of South Korea’s National Security Council on Monday that it was nearly certain that North Korea was behind the killing of Jong Nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
Kim Jong Nam, 46, who has been living in the Chinese territory of Macau under Beijing’s protection, had spoken out publicly against his family’s dynastic control of the isolated, nuclear-armed nation.
Suspects Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong (top L), North Korean Ri Jong Chol (top R), Indonesian Siti Aisyah (bottom L) and Malaysian Muhammad Farid Bin Jallaludin (bottom R) are seen in this combination of undated handouts released by the Royal Malaysia Police to Reuters on Feb 19, 2017. Pic: Reuters
North Korea said on Saturday that it would categorically reject Malaysia’s autopsy report on the death of Kim Jong Nam, and accused Malaysia of “colluding with outside forces”, in a veiled reference to rival nation South Korea.
Malaysia’s foreign ministry summoned North Korea’s ambassador on Monday over allegations he had made over the country’s handling of the investigation into the murder.
Malaysia also recalled its envoy from Pyongyang “for consultations”, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the North Korean ambassador Kang Chol was summoned for “an explanation on the accusations he made against the Government of Malaysia in his press conference on 17 February 2017”.
“In his press conference, the Ambassador…insinuated that…the Malaysian Government had ‘something to conceal’. The Ambassador also alleged that Malaysia was ‘colluding and playing into the gallery of external forces’,” the statement said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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