US 'accuses' North Korea of using nerve agent to assassinate Kim Jong Nam
The US has concluded that the North Korean government ordered a chemical weapons attack on Kim Chol, believed to be Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in Malaysia.
Mr Kim died after two women rubbed VX nerve agent on his face while checking in at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 13, 2017.
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| Image extracted from airport surveillance camera recording Kim Chol (in red circle) at Kuala Lumpur airport before the assassination. Source: NBC News |
Two women, Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, were charged with murder. However, both claimed they were tricked into taking part in a reality TV show.
On February 22, US investigators, based on the Biological and Chemical Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991, determined that North Korea was responsible for the death of "Kim Jong Nam" and that VX nerve agent was used, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
"We cannot tolerate North Korea's WMD (weapons of mass destruction) program in any form," BBC quoted Ms. Heather Nauert.
According to Ms. Nauert, the US has imposed additional sanctions on North Korea in response to the above developments. The sanctions will take effect from March 5.
So far, North Korea has denied all allegations related to the death of its citizen named Kim Jol.
