The two women arrested in the killing of Kim Jong Un’s half-brother were both well-trained assassins — who used nothing but their bare hands to poison him, authorities said.
Malaysian police officials reportedly revealed the true nature of their actions at a press conference early Wednesday local time, saying the pair had been instructed by the North Koreans.
“Yes, of course they knew,” said national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar when asked whether the women were aware of the plot to kill Kim Jong Nam.
“I think you have seen the video, right? The lady was moving away with her hands towards the bathroom,” Bakar added. “She was very aware that it was toxic and that she needed to wash her hands.”
While Indonesian police had said that one of the suspects had been duped into believing she was pulling a prank for a TV show, Bakar insisted this wasn’t the case.
The women — one Indonesian and one Vietnamese — had been trained to wipe an unknown toxin on his face using just their hands, Bakar said.
He added that a North Korean allegedly placed the poison on their hands before the killing occurred and told them to wash them afterwards.
“They used their bare hands,” Bakar said. “We don’t know what kind of chemical was used.”
The suspect who placed the poison on their hands is reportedly in custody as Malaysian authorities continue to search for seven others, including a North Korean diplomat.
Kim Jong Nam, who was Kim Jong Un’s estranged half-brother, was killed at a Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13 as he was preparing to board a flight to Macau.
North Korea has blasted Malaysia’s probe into the murder, claiming investigators have already “pinned” the killing on them without thoroughly investigating.
“The investigation by the Malaysian police is not for the clarification of the cause of the death and search for the suspect, but it is out of the political aim,” North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol said Monday.
With Post wires