MALAYSIAN authorities are yet to confirm the origin of the deadly toxic substance used in an attack against the estranged half-brother of North Korea’s supreme leader, but international experts say the VX nerve agent was likely smuggled into the country.
MALAYSIAN authorities are yet to confirm the origin of the deadly toxic substance used in an attack against the estranged half-brother of North Korea’s supreme leader, but international experts say the VX nerve agent was likely smuggled into the country.
Malaysian Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said the substance was prohibited in the country and investigations were underway to determine how it was brought in to the Southeast Asian nation.
“We don’t know yet (how it was brought into the country). We are trying to find out,” he said, as quoted by local daily The Star.
“But if it is a very small amount, it would have been very hard to detect.”
Earlier, Khalid said the agent was found based on swabs from the eyes and face of Kim Jong Nam who was killed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (Klia2) on Feb 13.
The agent used to kill Jong Nam is considered an extremely toxic substance used in chemical warfare as a nerve agent. The liquid has an amber-like colour and is tasteless and odorless, making it difficult to detect.
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The substance, which is said to be one of the world’s deadliest, is also classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations in UN Resolution 687.
