Assassination Plot

[Anchor Lead]

Following up with more details on the killing of Kim Jong-nam, early reporting reveals that the assassination of the North Korean leader’s half-brother was carried out according to a thoroughly devised plan at a crowded international airport. Here is what has been discovered.

[Pkg]

Kim Jong-nam was assassinated by poisoning on February 13 at 9 a.m. local time. The incident took place at a budget airline terminal at Kuala Lumpur Airport in Malaysia. Kim Jong-nam was using a self check-in kiosk to board a 10 a.m. flight to Macau. Airport authorities said that Kim was approached by two women who sprayed him with what is presumed be a poisonous substance. However, the BBC quoted a local police officer as saying that the women "covered his face with a cloth laced with a liquid." The suspects are believe to have pursued Kim in Malaysia, where he had stayed since February 6. The assassination took place in a venue that is used by both incoming and outgoing passengers. The suspects are believed to have entered the downtown area through the arrivals section, but the possibility that they have left the country cannot be ruled out. Sources say that local police faced difficulty in identifying Kim Jong-nam because he was using a fake passport. His passport listed his name was Kim Chol, with June 10, 1970 and Pyongyang respectively as the date and location of his birth. It has been confirmed that the North Korean embassy to Malaysia issued a request to local police to hand over Kim's body before an autopsy. Some speculate that the North was attempting to conceal Kim's assassination by taking over his body as soon as possible.