The Malaysian police have declared safe the airport terminal where the half-brother to Kim Jong-un was assassinated using the toxic nerve agent.
The area had earlier on been swept clean by security teams who wore protective suits.
Malaysian authority had announced that the toxic substance used to murder Kim Jong-nam had been identified to be the banned nerve agent VX.
It is reported that the perpetuator of the attack, an Indonesian women, had been paid $90 so as to conduct the prank.
According to the explanation to the investigating police, the 25-year-old Siti Aisyah had been offered the cash as payment for a new reality TV prank show. She had been asked to smear Kim Jong-nam’s face with ‘baby oil’.
The United Nations classifies the VX as a weapon of mass destruction, with just a single drop killing within minutes.
Kim was murdered two weeks while en route through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. He is normally under tight security but this time round there was a slight disruption to his protection as he had to undergo an airport check.
Kim Jong-nam staged as a prank
Two women were earlier on identified to have accosted him briefly in a check-in hall, with the speculation being that they either held a toxic handkerchief on his mouth/nose or sprayed substance. It has now been confirmed that the VX agent was actually sprayed on the deceased in the pretence of a prank.
Several high skilled agencies including police units, Atomic Energy Licensing Board, the fire department’s hazardous materials unit and forensic experts swept clean the airport to spot any dangerous items.
Abdul Samah Mat, the police official heading the investigation, said at a news conference that having done thorough screening, they can confirm that KLIA2 has no hazardous material and that there isn’t any form of contamination at the terminal.
“KLIA2 is declared a safe zone,” he said.
Many have speculated that North Korea might have been the attack’s masterminds, considering it’s led by a paranoid leader. Kim Jong-nam was viewed a perfect sit-in leader in the even the current North Korean leader is replaced.
Besides the arrested suspects, other 7 are wanted by the police for questioning. According to one other arrested Vietnamese woman – Doan Thi Huong – she thought she had been involved in a TV prank. A North Korean man has also been arrested in connection to the killing.
The VX nerve agent
VX is also referred to as O-ethyl S-diisopropylaminomethyl methylphosphonothiolate. The United Nations classifies it as a weapon of mass destruction.
The amber-coloured, oily liquid penetrates the skin to interfere with the nervous system. Having a single drop of it on one’s skin can lead to death within minutes. If one consumes it, the immediate effects include blurred vision, eye pain, vomiting and drowsiness.
Some of the ways of disseminating the include spraying – both on the target or on a substance to be consumed.
VX can be absorbed into the body by inhalation, ingestion, skin contact, or eye contact
This dangerous chemical was banned from usage in 1933.
Mr Kim was poisoned at an airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 45-year old was waiting for a flight to Macau, where he had run for fear of his life. One arrest was made after the alleged assassination and now a second woman has been arrested concerning the same death.