Clues Scarce After Half Brother of N. Korean Leader Killed

Clues Scarce After Half Brother of N. Korean Leader Killed
In this file photo, a man believed to be Kim Jong Nam, eldest son of then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, is surrounded by the media upon arrival from Macau at Beijing airport in Beijing. Kyodo News via AP
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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—News of the apparent assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half brother rippled across Asia on Wednesday as Malaysian investigators scoured airport surveillance video for clues about two female suspects and rival South Korea offered up a single, shaky motive: paranoia.

Kim Jong Nam, 46, was targeted Monday at the budget terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, said a senior Malaysian government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case involves sensitive diplomacy.

Kim, who died on the way to a hospital, told medical workers that he had been attacked with a chemical spray, the official said.
Malaysian officials have provided few other details about why they believe Kim died in a targeted killing. Police said an autopsy was planned to determine the cause of death.

Police officers wait at the forensic department entrance at a hospital in Putrajaya, Malaysia on on Feb. 15, 2017. (AP Photo/Daniel Chan)
Police officers wait at the forensic department entrance at a hospital in Putrajaya, Malaysia on on Feb. 15, 2017. AP Photo/Daniel Chan