Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said this in denying a report in South Korean news portal, Arirang, that Kim Han Sol visited the mortuary yesterday morning.
“No family member has come forward to claim Jong Nam’s body. Don’t listen to such rumours,” Khalid was quoted as saying by the daily.
Jong Nam, who is the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, arrived in Malaysia on Feb 6, and was at klia2 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.
He sought help at the customer service counter and was treated at the airport clinic but died on the way to Putrajaya Hospital.
Meanwhile, Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed promised police protection for the 22-year old Han Sol, but only if he were to present himself to the foreign affairs ministry.
“All he has to do is to contact Wisma Putra or other relevant authorities if he intends to come to Malaysia.
“We will protect him as we don’t want another death to happen here,” Nur Jazlan was quoted as saying by The Star.
On Monday, a large group of local and foreign media converged on klia2 when rumours spread that Han Sol was scheduled to arrive from Macau, but it turned out to be a false alarm.
Since Monday, police have also reinforced the security at the HKL mortuary by deploying its Special Task Force on Organised Crime (Stafoc) team due to the high-profile nature of the case.
Asked about the four North Korean suspects who are believed to have fled the country shortly after Jong Nam was killed, Nur Jazlan said any further action would ultimately depend on the positive identification of Jong Nam’s body by a family member and after the cause of death is determined, with the relevant toxicology results.
“If the death was under suspicious circumstances, the police can request for the four men to be extradited to assist in investigations.
“The question is whether North Korea will entertain us. What if they (North Korea) say they can’t find the four, then what can we do?” Nur Jazlan said, referring to the men whom police believe have since returned to Pyongyang by way of Jakarta, Dubai (UAE) and Vladivostok (Russia).
According to The Star, Bukit Aman has requested Interpol to help trace the four. They have been identified as Ri Ji Hyon, Hong Song Hac, O Jong Gil and Ri Jae Nam and their photographs were also published.
Police have so far nabbed four suspects to facilitate investigations. They are a Vietnamese named Doan Thi Huong, Siti Aisyah (Indonesia), Muhammad Farid Jallaludin (Malaysia) and Ri Jong Chul (North Korea).