Police say nerve agent was used to kill Kim Jong Un's half-brother

AFP

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian police said on Friday a preliminary report showed the murder of Kim Jong Nam was carried out with a highly toxic chemical known as VX nerve agent.

The police said swabs were taken from the eye and the face of a North Korean national by the chemistry department of Malaysia.

VX nerve agent, or S-2 Diisoprophylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate, is chemical weapon classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.

Kim, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, died after being assaulted at Kuala Lumpur International Airport last week while preparing to board a flight to Macau.

(Writing by Praveen Menon; Editing by Lincoln Feast)

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