Malaysia arrests fourth suspect in Kim Jong Nam murder probe

The police are still hunting for three more men for the investigation into Jong Nam's murder.

North Korean agents kill Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong Nam in Malaysia
Kim Jong Nam arrives at Beijing airport in Beijing, China, in this photo taken by Kyodo February 11, 2007. Picture taken February 11, 2007. Kyodo/via REUTERS

A fourth suspect, who has been identified as North Korean citizen Ri Jong Chol, has been arrested by the Malaysian police over the apparent assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

In a statement on Saturday, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said the 47-year-old suspect was detained at about 9.50 pm on Friday. He added that based on the i-KAD in his possession it is known that the suspect was born on May 6, 1970 and is a citizen of the Demoractic People's Republic of North Korea.

On Friday, the police raided a condominium in Jalan Kuchai Lama and arrested the suspect. However, the police are still hunting for three more men for the investigation into Jong Nam's murder.

Kim Jong Nam
A still image from a footage broadcast by Chinese state media which they say is believed to show the second woman (wearing yellow top) suspected of involvement in the apparent assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, February 16, 2017. Reuters

Jong Nam was allegedly killed by two women who splashed his face with a chemical at the KL International Airport 2 departure hall at about 9 am on Monday, when he was about to leave for Macau. According to Malaysian police, someone grabbed or held Jong Nam's face from behind, after which he felt dizzy and sought help at an information desk.

The first suspect, who holds a Vietnamese passport bearing the name Doan Thi Huong, was arrested at KLIA2 on Wednesday as she was preparing to board a flight to Vietnam. A Malaysian government source confirmed to Reuters that the first suspect arrested was the same woman whose image was captured on a close circuit television footage and published by media. The grainy picture showed her wearing a white shirt with the letters "LOL" on the front.

On Thursday, a second suspect was arrested at a hotel in Ampang at 2 am. The suspect, identified as Indonesian Siti Aisyah, was identified based on CCTV footage at the airport and was alone at the time of arrest. The police also arrested her boyfriend for assisting with the investigations.

READ MORE