Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea’s leader, was killed by a highly toxic nerve agent, says Malaysia.
Mr Kim died last week after two women accosted him briefly in a check-in hall at a Kuala Lumpur airport.
Malaysian toxicology reports indicate he was attacked using VX nerve agent, which is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.
There is widespread suspicion that North Korea was responsible for the attack, which it fiercely denies. It responded furiously to Malaysia’s insistence on conducting a post-mortem examination and has accused Malaysia of having «sinister» purposes.
Malaysia’s police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said on Friday that the presence of the nerve agent had been detected in swabs taken from Mr Kim’s eyes and face. One of the women Mr Kim interacted with at the airport on 13 February had also fallen ill with vomiting afterwards, he added.
Mr Khalid said other exhibits were still under analysis and that police were investigating how the banned substance might have entered Malaysia. «If the amount of the chemical brought in was small, it would be difficult for us to detect,» he said.
What Is The Deadly VX Nerve Agent?
The most potent of the known chemical warfare agents, it is a clear, amber-coloured, oily liquid which is tasteless and odourless
Works by penetrating the skin and disrupting the transmission of nerve impulses — a drop on the skin can kill in minutes. Lower doses can cause eye pain, blurred vision, drowsiness and vomiting
It can be disseminated in a spray or vapour when used as a chemical weapon, or used to contaminate water, food, and agricultural products
VX can be absorbed into the body by inhalation, ingestion, skin contact, or eye contact
Clothing can carry VX for about 30 minutes after contact with the vapour, which can expose other people
Banned by the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention
Bruce Bennett, a weapons expert at the research institute the Rand Corporation, said it would have taken only a tiny amount of the substance to kill Mr Kim. He suggests a small quantity of VX — just a drop — was likely put on cloths used by the attackers to touch his face. A separate spray may have been used as a diversion.
Mr Khalid has previously said the fact the woman who accosted Mr Kim immediately went to wash her hands showed she was «very aware» that she had been handling a toxin. It would have begun affecting his nervous system immediately, causing first shaking and then death within minutes.
The authorities say they intend to decontaminate the airport and areas the suspects are known to have visited.
VX is a v-type nerve agent, which means the substance can remain lethal for a long period of time. «It’s as persistent as motor oil. It’s going to stay there for a long time… which means anyone coming in contact with this could be intoxicated from it,» forensic toxicologist John Trestrail told the Associated Press news agency.
No passengers, airport workers or medical staff who treated Mr Kim were reported to have become ill in the aftermath of the incident, the news agency adds. Tens of thousands of passengers are believed to have passed through the airport since the attack more than 10 days ago.
Malaysia says it was clearly an attack by North Korean agents. Four people are in custody, including one North Korean and the two women he interacted with at the airport. Seven North Koreans are being sought, including a diplomat. There are a number of North Korean organisations capable of directing such an attack, including the exclusive Guard Command.
The North hit back at Malaysia on Thursday, saying it was responsible for the death of one of its citizens. In response, Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman warned North Korean envoy Kang Chol on Friday that he would be expelled unless he stopped «spewing lies» about the attack. North Korea is one of just six countries not to have signed the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) arms control treaty banning the production, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons.
According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative project, however, North Korea is thought to have the third largest stockpile of chemical weapons, after the US and Russia.
South Korea’s defence ministry estimated in 2014 that the North has somewhere between 2,500 and 5,000 tonnes of nerve agents in stock, with VX identified as among them.