Prosecutor: Alleged Kim Jong Nam Killers Are Trained Assassins

'This type of assassination can only be seen in James Bond movies'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 28, 2018 5:19 AM CDT
Prosecutor: Alleged Kim Jong Nam Killers Are Trained Assassins
Indonesian Siti Aisyah, right, is escorted by police as she leaves court after hearing at Shah Alam High Court in Shah Alam, Malaysia, Thursday, June 28, 2018.   (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Two Southeast Asian women on trial for killing the estranged half brother of North Korea's leader are trained assassins who used "criminal force" to rub the toxic VX nerve agent on Kim Jong Nam's eyes and face, prosecutors said in their closing arguments, the AP reports Thursday. The women's claim that they were duped by North Korean agents into thinking they were playing a harmless prank for a hidden camera show was an "ingenious attempt ... to cover up their sinister plot in order to obscure the eyes of the public and the court," prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin told the court in Shah Alam, Malaysia. He said their facial expression and conduct during the attack didn't reflect any humor.

Indonesia's Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong of Vietnam, who face the death penalty if convicted, have pleaded not guilty to murdering Kim in a crowded airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13, 2017. Kim died within two hours. Doan called herself an actress, while Aisyah was a masseur. Wan Shaharuddin said it was "not impossible for someone to lead a double life." "This type of assassination can only be seen in James Bond movies," he continued. He said that the women were in the know because they deliberately targeted Kim's eyes and hastily washed their hands after the attack. An expert has testified that the eyes are the best route of entry for the poison to spread, and that VX can be washed off within 15 minutes of exposure without causing any symptoms. The judge set a ruling for Aug. 16 to decide whether the women should enter their defense or be acquitted.

(More Kim Jong Nam stories.)

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