A woman arrested in the killing of the North Korean leader’s half brother thought she was participating in a television prank show when she squirted liquid in his face, Indonesian police said.
Suspect Siti Aishah is one of four people arrested in the death of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Police believe the victim was sprayed with poison as he waited to board a flight Monday at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia.
Aishah said she was “not aware it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents,” Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian told reporters in Aceh Province. Aishah is Indonesian.
Four people have been arrested in the killing: the Indonesian woman, a Malaysian man and another woman carrying Vietnamese identification.
A North Korean man named Ri Jong Chol was arrested Friday in Selangor, Malaysia, according to police.
The woman said she had sprayed others in a similar manner “three to four times [before].” However, Karnavian told journalists, in this case, “there was allegedly a dangerous substance in the sprayer.”
The woman said “she was given a few dollars for the job,” Karnavian said. “She was used but she didn’t know what it was for.”
Police did not confirm who provided the sprayer to the suspects.
Twists and turns
This is the latest bizarre detail to emerge in the mysterious death of Kim Jong Nam.
Kim was on his way to catch a flight Monday morning to see his family in Macau, where he’s lived since his departure from North Korea years ago.
The Chinese territory, a short ferry or helicopter ride from Hong Kong, is a popular gambling destination with mainland Chinese.
The exact details of Kim’s murder are sketchy but Selangor State Criminal Investigations Department Chief Fadzil Ahmat told Reuters Kim “felt like someone grabbed or held his face from behind.”
Kim felt dizzy and immediately went to an airport customer assistance counter, seeking medical help. They were concerned enough to take him to the on-premises clinic.
An ambulance was called to take Kim to the hospital, but he died on the way.
Malaysia police have declined to release his body to North Korea without DNA from next-of-kin.
“This is a Malaysian investigation, the crime happened in our country and we have processes and laws to deal with such matters,” Selangor police chief, Abdul Samah Mat, told CNN.