Kim Jong-nam 9 (pictured above), the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, had bottles of an antidote to the poison that was used to kill him in Kuala Lumpur in February, a doctor told a Malaysian court this week, according to The Star.
He was carrying a dozen vials of atrophine, which works as an antidote to VX and insecticides, in a sling bag, toxicologist Dr K Sharmilah told the court on Wednesday. VX is a banned poison, whose traces were found on the clothes of the two women accused of Kim Jong-nam’s assassination.
Siti Aisyah of Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong of Vietnam face charges of spraying VX on Kim Jong-nam’s face at the Kuala Lumpur airport on February 13. They allegedly conspired with four men, suspected to be North Korean agents. The hearing in the case began in October, at the beginning of which both women pleaded not guilty.
The two women, who face death penalty if convicted, have claimed that they were tricked by North Korean agents into smearing Kim Jong-nam’s face with the toxic agent. The women had told their lawyers that they were asked to carry out the act as part of a prank for a reality TV show, Reuters reported.
The court will continue the hearing on January 22.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!