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Malaysia police formally ID Kim Jong-nam but say they cannot reveal how it was determined

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North Korean heir-apparent Kim Jong-nam. Photo: Reuters

Malaysia’s police chief confirmed on Friday that the man assassinated at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport last month was Kim Jong-nam, half-brother of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un.

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Inspector General Khalid Abu Bakar told a news conference that he could not release details of how the identity was determined due to “security” concerns, but Malaysian authorities had earlier declined to officially confirm the victim’s identity or release his body without a DNA sample from next-of-kin.

For the security of the witnesses so I’m not going to tell you how it was done
Inspector General Khalid Abu Bakar

“For the security of the witnesses so I’m not going to tell you how it was done,” he said of the identification process.

The 45-year-old was carrying a passport bearing the name of Kim Chol when he was attacked on February 13 with the lethal nerve agent VX by two women.

His wife and children, who were living in exile in the Chinese territory of Macau, have since gone into hiding over fears that his 21-year-old son, Kim Han-Sol, could be seen as a potential rival by his uncle Kim Jong-un in a country roiled by bloody purges.

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Malaysian national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar. Photo: Xinhua
Malaysian national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar. Photo: Xinhua
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