Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Rashid Ibrahim revealed today authorities were on the hunt for four North Koreans who had fled Malaysia on Feb 13, the same day Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, was murdered at klia2, Malaysia’s low-cost carrier airport.
“I can confirm today that they left the country on the very same day the incident happened,” Noor Rashid said in a press conference at the federal police headquarters today.
The four are Ri Ji Hyon, 33, who arrived in Malaysia on Feb 4; Hong Song Hac, 34 (Jan 21); O Jong Gil, 55 (Feb 7); and Ri Jae Nam, 57 (Feb 1).
Police believe the four North Korean operatives orchestrated the murder of Jong Nam, 45, and watched two foreign women carry out the plan from a little distance away.
According to NST Online, CCTV footage showed three North Korean men watching from an eatery called Bibik Heritage, located about 50m from the crime scene on Feb 13.
They were at the eatery at 7.30am and left after the attack was carried out. The fourth man trailed Jong Nam and was nearby when he was attacked.
Jong Nam, who is the eldest son of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, arrived in Malaysia on Feb 6, and was at klia2 on Feb 13 to catch a 10.30am flight to Macau when he was attacked by two women. One sprayed a rapid-acting poison at him while the other covered his face with a piece of cloth.
Jong Nam sought help at the customer service counter but died on the way to Putrajaya Hospital.
Police have since arrested Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 29, who are believed to be the two women involved in the attack based on the CCTV footage at the airport.
Siti is a spa masseuse from the town of Serang, near Jakarta. She had arrived in Malaysia on Feb 2.
Doan, an entertainment outlet employee, arrived here on Feb 4 and was scheduled to depart to Hanoi on Feb 23.
But a former North Korean spy Kim Hyon Hui, who was involved in the Korean Air jet bombing in 1987 that killed all 115 crew and passengers on board, has picked up on the “amateur” quality of the two alleged assassins.
“I felt suspicious. They don’t seem to have taken strict psychological and physical education and training in North Korea,” she told Reuters.
Hyon Hui also questioned the probability of the two women being duped into thinking the attack was a prank.
“They would not have run away if that was the case”.
South Korea’s intelligence agency in Seoul had previously said that the young North Korean leader had a “standing order” for his half-brother’s assassination. There was a previous attempt on Jong Nam’s life in 2012.
Meanwhile, police have yet to determine the cause of death pending toxicology and pathological test results.
They are also appealing for those with information to step forward.
“We seek assistance from the public and whoever has any information, please contact us so we can complete investigations,” Noor Rashid said.