Kim Jong-nam killing: ‘VX nerve agent’ found on his face
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.
What does the toxicology report say?
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.
The authorities say they intend to decontaminate the airport and areas the suspects are known to have visited.
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. Low 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
- Official chemical name is S-2 Diisoprophylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate and it is banned by the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention
Read more on the highly toxic nerve agent
How could it have killed Mr Kim?
Bruce Bennett, a weapons expert at the research institute the Rand Corporation, told the BBC 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.
Read more from expert Bruce Bennett
Who was Kim Jong-nam?
The well-travelled and multilingual oldest son of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, he was once considered a potential future leader. He has lived abroad for years and was bypassed in favour of his half-brother, Kim Jong-un.
Kim Jong-nam: North Korea’s critic in exile
How did he die?
A woman was seen in CCTV footage approaching Mr Kim and wiping something across his face. He sought medical help at the airport, saying someone had splashed or sprayed him with liquid.
He had a seizure and died on the way to hospital.
His body remains in the hospital’s mortuary, amid a diplomatic dispute over who should claim it.
Kim Jong-nam: Main players in mysterious killing
Who did it?
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.
Mr Kim had been travelling on a passport under the name Kim Chol. North Korea has yet to confirm that the deceased was actually Kim Jong-nam.
North Korea’s history of foreign assassinations
On what seemed to be the first reference to the case in the North’s state media, Pyongyang said on Thursday only that Malaysia was responsible for the death of one of its citizens.
It also accused Malaysia of trying to politicise the return of his body, saying its insistence on securing DNA samples from Mr Kim’s family before handing the body over was “absurd”.
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