A woman has been arrested in the investigation concerning the recent death of kim jong nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
What do we currently know about the investigation?
According to reports, investigators are currently awaiting the results of an autopsy, although Malaysian police have said that they believe poisoning was the cause of death. That said, if poison had been used, police have said that they are unsure if it was injected through a needle or through a chemical spray.
Nam had been boarding a flight to the Chinese territory of Macau to visit family before his death.
It is believed that he had been attacked at the Kuala Lumpur airport, where he sought help at the counter, claiming to have been attacked by an unseen assailant. He would later die while he was being taken to an airport clinic. It is also believed that Nam had been using the identity Kim Chol while traveling.
A woman who had been using a Vietnamese passport under the identity, Doan Thi Huong, was arrested by police in connection to the assassination. Reportedly, she was identified with the use of the airport's security footage. Two women were believed to have been involved in the attack, and police have also said they are on the lookout for other suspects. A photo of the woman currently in police custody has been released on social media, using a screenshot of the security footage.
Kim Jong-nam’s alleged killer wore a t-shirt that read “LOL” - the Star https://t.co/yruAzzJqsd pic.twitter.com/O8wsQFvD2D
— Patrick Boehler 包蟠睿 (@mrbaopanrui) February 15, 2017
What could a possible motive have been?
Kim Jong Nam had been a figure of political controversy in recent years, leading to questions of a possible motive of the assassination.
Reportedly, he had lost favor with his father, Kim Jong-il, due to an incident in 2001 in which he was caught trying to enter Japan and visit Tokyo Disneyland with a fake passport. He had been living in exile from North Korea since 2003, and his younger half-brother, Kim Jong Un, had been made heir apparent, despite Kim Jong Nam being the eldest son.
In the years preceding his death, Nam was also said to have spoken out against his father’s “military first” policies. It is believed that the two half-brothers never met each other during their lives due to the North Korean practice of raising the successors separate from each other.
As a response, acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo Ahn said during a meeting of security officials that the incident could showcase the controversial "brutality and inhumane nature of the North Korean regime" if Nam's death was proven to be an assassination, according to USA Today. News media has reportedly kept Nam’s death under-wraps, and it's unlikely that the story will be released to the public.
