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Female suspect sick after Kim Jong Nam assassination, police say

The use of VX, a deadly nerve agent, could have serious consequences for North Korea.

By Elizabeth Shim
Malaysia's inspector general of police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, said one of the female suspects was vomiting after dabbing Kim Jong Nam with a deadly nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13.
Malaysia's inspector general of police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, said one of the female suspects was vomiting after dabbing Kim Jong Nam with a deadly nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13.

Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A female suspect in the Kim Jong Nam assassination has been showing symptoms of sickness while in custody, Malaysian police say.

Local authorities in Kuala Lumpur issued the statement after police confirmed the older half-brother of Kim Jong Un had died from being exposed to VX, a deadly nerve agent.

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Inspector-General Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the suspect was vomiting after the incident, but declined to name the woman, according to the New Straits Times.

Airport surveillance footage taken on Feb. 13 shows the two suspects, 28-year-old Doan Thi Huong and 24-year-old Siti Aishah, approach Kim from the front and back.

After the two women dab Kim in the face with a toxic liquid, Huong is seen on separate footage making her way to a restroom while holding her hands high above her head to avoid contact.

Kim may have died after the substance was absorbed into his face and eyes and entered his bloodstream.

VX is a weapon of mass destruction, according to the United Nations. Its use is banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention, but North Korea is not a signatory to the agreement.

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According to the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun, the use of a banned chemical weapon on Malaysian soil could have a serious impact on bilateral relations.

North Korea and Malaysia are already entangled in a dispute regarding Kim's autopsy, after Kuala Lumpur refused to repatriate Kim to Pyongyang without a family DNA sample.

The use of a VX agent strongly indicates North Korea is behind the attack, and that Pyongyang's military has large-scale facilities to manufacture VX and other deadly chemicals, according to Japanese scientists who spoke to the Mainichi.

Yosuke Yamazato of Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Chemical School said VX is not as "volatile" as sarin, another nerve gas. The chemical can annihilate a victim without killing the person administering it, Yamazato said.

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