The two women suspected of fatally poisoning a scion of North Korea's ruling family were trained to coat their hands with toxic chemicals, then wipe them on his face, police in Malaysia said today announcing they were seeking a North Korean diplomat in connection with the attack.
But the North Korean Embassy ridiculed the police account of Kim Jong Nam's death, demanding the immediate release of the two "innocent women" and saying there was no way they could have poisoned him. It alleged the women daubed liquid on Kim "for a joke."
If the toxins had been on their hands "then how is it possible that these female suspects could still be alive?" demanded a statement from North Korea's embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Police say the women - one of them Indonesian, the other Vietnamese, washed their hands soon after poisoning Kim, the long-estranged half brother of the North Korean ruler.
Earlier today, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters that authorities are searching for two new North Korean suspects, the second secretary of North Korea's embassy in Kuala Lumpur and an employee of North Korea's state-owned airline Air Koryo.
"We hope that the Korean embassy will cooperate with us, allow us to interview them and interview them quickly," he said. "If not, we will compel them to come to us."
Police say the substance used remains unknown, but it was potent enough to kill Kim before he could even make it to the hospital.
Khalid said the women knew they were handling poisonous materials and "were warned to take precautions." Surveillance footage showed both keeping their hands away from their bodies after the attack, he said, then going to restrooms to wash. Such details are unclear in video footage that has been released to media.
He said the women had practiced the attack at two Kuala Lumpur malls.
"We strongly believe it is a planned thing and that they have been trained," he told reporters.
Khalid couldn't confirm whether North Korea's government was behind Kim's death but added, "What is clear is that those involved are North Koreans."
He also said a heavily armed special police force was deployed to the morgue holding Kim Jong Nam's body this week as a precaution because police have detected attempts to break into the morgue. He declined to give details.
Local media reported that a South Korean cameraman was detained briefly outside the morgue after he was found without any identification documents or passport. He was released after a colleague confirmed his identity.
The North Korean Embassy's statement was aimed at getting at least a little bit of Pyongyang's spin on international coverage of the killing.
It attacked the credibility and fairness of the Malaysian investigation, which it has alleged is based on lies and biased presumptions and has been tainted by the influence of foreign governments.
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