'Women applied toxic substance with bare hands, practised at KLCC'

The female suspects, detained in connection with the murder of Kim Jong-nam, applied toxic substance on the deceased with their bare hands, revealed inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar.

He also said the pair, who were involved in the Feb 13 attack at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA 2), had undergone training.

Referring to the leaked CCTV footage of the incident, Khalid told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur that it was clear the suspects knew what they were doing.

"Yes, the two female suspects knew the substance they had was toxic. We don't know what kind of chemical was used.

"They used their bare hands," he said, adding that they were instructed to wash their hands afterwards.

The police chief also dismissed speculation that the women thought they were playing a prank on Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

"We do not think they were involved in a 'prank'. We believe it (the act) was planned and they were trained to do it," he said.

Khalid also disclosed that the women, one of whom had a Vietnamese passport and the other an Indonesian passport, had practised administering the substance prior to the attack.

"From our investigations we know they had few exercises (practice sessions) to do that at Pavilion and KLCC. The final act was then performed on the deceased," he said.

Khalid said police this morning applied to extend the two women's remand for another seven days, while a Malaysian man who is believed to be the boyfriend of the Indonesian woman has been released on police bail.

He added that Malaysia has yet to grant permission to Indonesia, which has requested for direct access to its citizen.

Khalid also confirmed that police have identified all seven North Korean citizens who are being sought in connection with the case.

Four of them are believed to have fled the country following the murder, while three others are still here.- Mkini