Assassination of Kim's Half-Brother Took 10 Seconds

Investigators trying to piece together the stunning assassination of Kim Jong Un's half-brother believe the murder at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday took just 10 seconds. Kim Jong Nam was preparing to return to his home in Macau from a week in Malaysia when he encountered two attractive women in the airport's busy Terminal 2, the Washington Post reports, citing interviews with airport staff and police. One woman grabbed Kim while the other sprayed liquid on his face and held a cloth on it for around 10 seconds. The pair then made a leisurely getaway, strolling through the terminal and waiting in line for a taxi, while their victim staggered to a counter seeking help before dying in an ambulance.

The fast-acting poison the women apparently used is typical of North Korean assassination attempts, according to the Post. Results from an autopsy, which North Korean diplomats reportedly tried to prevent, have not been made public. The BBC reports that two women have been arrested in connection with the case: A woman traveling on a Vietnamese passport who was arrested Wednesday, and a suspect with an Indonesian passport arrested Thursday. A police source tells Reuters that the first woman arrested was the suspect seen on CCTV with a shirt reading "LOL." Sources in Macau tell the South China Morning Post that Kim moved around his adopted home without bodyguards, but told friends he feared his younger half-brother would have him killed sooner or later. (More Kim Jong Nam stories.)