Kim Jong Nam was exposed to nerve agent: Police

TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images(KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia) — Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, had been exposed to nerve agent, police in Malaysia said Thursday.

According to the police, a preliminary analysis found VX nerve agent on the face of the victim, who was killed on Feb. 13.

The Centers for Disease Control says VX “is a human-made chemical warfare agent classified as a nerve agent.”

“Nerve agents are the most toxic and rapidly acting of the known chemical warfare agents,” the site adds.

Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the apparent assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s exiled half-brother, Kim Jong Nam.

The suspects — two women and a man — were picked up separately by Malaysian police.

According to the Royal Malaysia Police, a North Korean man who “sought initial medical assistance” at the customer service counter in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport died as he was being transported to the hospital. Police said the 46-year-old man was carrying North Korean travel documents bearing the name Kim Choi with a birth date of June 1970 and birthplace of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.

The cause of death remains under investigation, police said.

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