KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 – Police were seeking for another four North Korean suspects in the connection with the murder of Kim Jong-nam, half-brother of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) leader Kim Jong-un. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said all the suspects at large are believed to be from the DPRK
He said all the suspects are male and aged between 33 and 57, have left the country the day the murder took place. They were holding normal passports, not diplomatic passports. The press conference is the first that the police have conducted since Jong-nam was assassinated. The four wanted suspects are:
- Rhi Ji Hyon, 33, arrived in Malaysia Feb 4, 2017
- Hong Song Hac, 34, arrived Jan 31, 2017
- O Jong Gil, 55, arrived Feb 7, 2017
- Ri Jae Nam, 57, arrived Feb 1, 2017
Two female suspects, one an Indonesian called Siti Aishah, 25, and the other carrying Vietnamese travel documents, named Doan Thi Huong, 28, have also been arrested, while a 47-year-old Malaysian man, who has expertise in chemistry, has been detained after police raided a condominium in Jalan Kuchai Lama on Friday. Noor Rashid Ibrahim said they are trying to get Kim Jong-nam’s next of kin to “assist” the ongoing investigation.
The cause of Kim Jong Nam’s death is yet to be identified, pending the results of pathological and toxicological tests, the deputy police chief said. Kim Jong-nam died on Monday after being assaulted at Kuala Lumpur international airport, where he was catching a flight, AirAsia AK 8380, to Macau at 10.05am. South Korean and US officials have said he was assassinated by North Korean agents.
