Kuala Lumpur – Malaysian police have declared Kuala Lumpur airport “safe” after a sweep for toxic chemicals and other hazardous substances following the mysterious killing of Kim Jong Nam, half-brother of the North Korean leader.
Nuclear and radiation experts took part in the operation after it became clear that a chemical weapon – VX nerve agent – was used to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s estranged half-brother.
The operation took place early Sunday (early evening GMT Saturday), police said, nearly a fortnight after the incident.
The airport terminal did not shut down operations as the sweep took place simultaneously on the first, second and third floors.
Chemical experts in full hazardous material body suits checked the premises for radioactive material.
There were no flights scheduled during the sweep, but there were some curious passengers a few feet away from the security cordon watching while waiting for their much later flights.
Nuclear and radiation experts are conducting checks at Kuala Lumpur airport on February 26, 2017, for toxic chemicals and other hazardous substances following the mysterious killing of Kim Jong Nam, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s estranged half-brother. Photo: Haylena Krishnamoorthy/dpa
State police chief Abdul Samah Mat addressed the media in a press conference after the airport sweep. “As a result of this screening process done, we confirm there is no hazardous material” in the terminal, he said, declaring it “a safe zone.”
There were three agencies involved in the search: the royal Malaysian police forensics team, the fire department and Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB).
Abdul Samah Mat confirmed there wasn’t any trace of VX agent at the airport,and added: “If there had been any substance, definitely the effect would have been detected much sooner, and so far, till today we have not received reports of anybody seeking medical assistance.”
Police had earlier raided a condominium on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur and were waiting for laboratory results to identify whether there were any hazardous substances present, Abdul Samah Mat said.
He would not specify what the authorities found but stated the items were being tested for possible links to the mysterious murder.
VX, which is classified as a chemical weapon of mass destruction, was used to kill Kim Jong Nam on February 13, police said.
It is listed as a chemical weapon under the Chemical Weapons Convention Act 2005 and Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) 1997.
Kim Jong Nam was allegedly poisoned by two women, one Indonesian and one Vietnamese, who wiped the highly toxic chemical agent on his face at the airport.
Indonesian suspect Siti Aishah has been visited by embassy officials, who confirmed that she believed she was carrying out a prank for a television show.
“She said she was paid 400 Malaysian Ringgit (90 dollars) for her activities. She didn’t know that it was poison,” Andreano Erwin from the Indonesia embassy told reporters on Saturday.
Aishah thought the liquid given to her was baby oil, he added.
Malaysian police are searching for seven more North Koreans believed to be linked to the attack, including a diplomat in the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur and an airline worker with Air Koryo, the state-owned national flag carrier airline of North Korea.
Police have asked Interpol to issue an alert for the four North Koreans who fled Malaysia to Pyongyang on the day of Kim’s murder.
-dpa
