Malaysian police have established that the substance used to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half-brother Kim Jong Nam was a chemical weapon known as “VX nerve agent,” Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Khalid Bin Abu Bakar said in a Friday statement.
“The Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) has received the preliminary report from the Chemistry Department of Malaysia, with regards to the death of a North Korean national recently.
The Center for Chemical Weapons Analysis of the Department has carried out preliminary analysis involving 1. Dry swab – eye mucosa, 2. Dry swab – face. The chemical substance on the exhibits has been identified as Ethyl N-2-Diisopropylaminoethyl Methylphosphonothioate or ‘VX Nerve Agent’,” the statement says.
The “VX nerve agent” has been listed as a chemical weapon by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.
Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of North Korea’s late leader Kim Jong Il and older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was killed as he was preparing to board a flight to Macau on February 13.
Earlier this week, ambassador of North Korea to Malaysia Kang Chol called for a joint Pyongyang-Kuala Lumpur investigation into the murder of Kim Jong Nam. However, on Wednesday, Malaysian police said Kuala Lumpur opposed a joint investigation and called on Pyongyang to transfer four suspects in Kim’s killing.
Source: AFP
