Malaysia said on
Saturday it would issue an arrest warrant for a North Korean diplomat
wanted for questioning over the murder of Kim Jong Nam if he doesn’t
voluntarily cooperate with the police.
Earlier
this week, Malaysia said 44-year-old Hyon Kwang Song, a second
secretary at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, was wanted for
questioning over the death of the estranged half brother of North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un.
“Reasonable”
time will be given for the diplomat to come forward before police take
further action, said Abdul Samah Mat, the police chief for Selangor
state.
Samah said if
the person concerned did not cooperate the police would issue a notice
under Malaysian law, “compelling” them to appear before the
investigation team.
“And
if he failed to turn up upon given this notice, then we will go to the
next step by getting a warrant of arrest from the court,” he told
reporters.
It was unclear if the embassy official can be detained since police have said he has diplomatic immunity.
Eight
North Koreans are wanted in connection with the case, including the
diplomat. One has been detained by the Malaysian police, four are
believed to have fled to North Korea, while two are still in Malaysia.
Police
are trying to locate the eight suspect, another North Korean, Ri Ji U,
whose whereabouts are unknown, Samah said on Saturday.
Kim
Jong Nam was murdered on Feb. 13 at the Kuala Lumpur international
airport with VX nerve agent, a chemical classified by the United Nations
as a weapon of mass destruction, Malaysian police said on Friday.
Two
women – one Indonesian and one Vietnamese – have also been detained.
Police had said on Friday that one of them had suffered from the effects
of VX and had been vomiting.
Indonesian
embassy officials met with their national Siti Aishah on Saturday and
said she had been paid 400 Malaysian ringgit ($90.15) to participate in
what she believed was a prank.
“She
only said in general that somebody asked her to do this activity…She
said she was given a kind of oil, like baby oil,” Indonesian deputy
ambassador Andreano Erwin told reporters after meeting Aishah, adding
that no charges have been brought against her yet.
Vietnamese officials also met with their national but declined to comment.
Footage
released earlier this week by Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV appears to
show two women lunge at the victim as he prepared to board a flight to
the Chinese territory of Macau.
They are seen grabbing at his face
and then quickly walking away in different directions. Later clips show
the victim asking airport officials for medical help.
Malaysian
police have said the two women had rehearsed the attack before carrying
it out and had been instructed to wash their hands afterwards.
Samah
also confirmed that authorities raided an apartment in an upscale Kuala
Lumpur suburb earlier this week in connection with the killing.
Investigators were still looking for any traces of chemicals in the apartment, he added.
Authorities are also sweeping locations that the suspects may have visited for chemicals, Samah said.
