Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said the findings were announced by the department’s Centre for Chemical Weapons Analysis after dry swabs were taken from the eye and face of the deceased.

“The chemical substance on the exhibits has been identified as Ethyl (S)-2 -diisopropylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate or ‘VX nerve agent’,” Khalid said in a statement today.

He said the substance is listed as a chemical weapon under the Chemical Weapons Convention Act 2005 and Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) 1997.

“Other exhibits are still under analysis,” Khalid added.

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 on Feb 13 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.

The incident has triggered a diplomatic crisis between Malaysia and North Korea, after Pyongyang protested an autopsy on the body, and accused Malaysia of collaborating with “hostile forces”.

Meanwhile, AFP reported that the only known use of VX is as a chemical warfare agent.

It cited the US government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), describing the substance the “most potent” of all nerve agents.

“It is possible that any visible VX liquid contact on the skin, unless washed off immediately, would be lethal,” the report quoted the CDC on its website.

The report added that nerve agents cause toxic effects by preventing the proper operation of an enzyme that acts as the body’s “off switch” for glands and muscles.

A Reuters report quotes the US Army’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center as saying that VX nerve agent can be fatal after 15 minutes when absorbed in large doses.

It said the substance is available in liquid, cream or aerosol form, and is the most toxic nerve agent in the world.