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| Malaysia Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Rashid Ibrahim, left, speaks during a press conference at police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Sunday. Investigators are still trying to piece together details of what appears to be the brazen assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. / AP-Yonhap |
Suspicions grow Pyongyang was behind Kim's death
By Rachel Lee
Malaysian police have found that four more North Korean suspects were linked to the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Rashid Ibrahim announced the interim results of investigations into the case at a press conference Sunday, after a suspect, identified as Ri Jong-chol, 47, was arrested in Selangor State, Friday.
Ibrahim said the police are seeking the whereabouts of the four other suspects who fled Malaysia Feb. 13 when Kim Jong-man was killed. They are Ri Jae-nam, 57, Ri Ji-hyon, 33, O Jong-gil, 55, and Hong So-hac, 34.
He added that three other North Koreans are being sought to assist the police in their inquiries into the case.
The announcement strongly indicates that North Korea was behind Kim's death. Ibrahim, however, said he could not yet conclude that Kim was killed by North Korean agents.
Kim Jong-nam died after being sprayed with what is believed to be a toxic liquid by one of two women at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, last Monday.
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| Malaysian police officers escort Ri Jong-chol, second from left in the top photo, one of the North Korean suspects involved in the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's older half-brother Kim Jong-nam in Kuala Lumpur, Saturday. Other North Korean suspects are, from left in the bottom row, are Ri Jae-nam, Ri Ji-hyon, O Jong-gil and Hong Song-hac. / Yonhap |
Last week, three other suspects including the two women ― one identified as Vietnamese by documents and the other as Indonesian ― were also arrested by Malaysian authorities.
"I can confirm today that they (the four North Korean suspects) left our country the very same day the incident happened," the deputy inspector-general said. "The four suspects are holding normal passports, not diplomatic passports," he said.
"The next plan is to get them. We of course have international cooperation especially with Interpol and bilateral involvement with the country involved. We will go through those avenues to get the people involved," he said.
Police also confirmed that Kim Jong-nam died from poisoning; but while an autopsy has been performed, the full results have not been released.
A diplomatic disagreement between North Korea and Malaysia over Kim Jong-nam's body has erupted since the assassination.
Ibrahim said the priority for the disposal of Kim Jong-nam's body goes to his family, not North Korea which has demanded that Malaysia immediately hand it over to the country's representatives. North Korean Ambassador to Malaysia Kang Chol accused Malaysia of deceiving the North while colluding with "hostile forces" against Pyongyang.
Police said they were trying to contact Kim Jong-nam's next-of-kin.
"The body must be identified. The most eligible to identify the body physically are the next-of-kin," the deputy inspector-general said. "We will verify again through scientific means, so it is very important for close family members to come forward to assist us in the process of identification based on legal procedures under Malaysian law."
The Malaysian Immigration Department is looking into the authenticity of an "i-Kad" card possessed by Ri Jong-chol. The document is an identification card issued by the Malaysian government to registered foreign workers.
Two officials from the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur reportedly visited a police station where Ri is being held Saturday, and requested the Malaysian authority's permission to meet him. It has not been revealed whether they met him.
South Korea's Ministry of Unification said it suspects Pyongyang as being the mastermind behind the murder since five of the suspects have been identified as North Korean. The ministry also said Seoul and the international community are taking a close look at the "brutal and reckless" case, and that it is determined to protect the security of the nation and lives of the people despite the North's threatening nuclear attacks.
Kim Jong-nam, the oldest son of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, was once considered the heir in North Korea's family dynasty. He had long been protected by Beijing, while his uncle and former No. 2 man, Jang Song-taek ― later executed by Kim Jong-un ― played a key role in the North's diplomatic and economic cooperation with China, according to South Korean intelligence officials.
Whether the military state ordered the killing has not been confirmed. However, Seoul's National Intelligence Service said last week that the North Korean leader issued a "standing order" to murder his sibling after he took control of the regime in late 2011.
