Woman accused of poisoning Kim Jong Nam to death claims she got $90 to carry out a prank
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/woman-accused-killing-kim-jong-nam-90-prank-article-1.2981958
One of the women suspected of carrying out a spy novel-like attack that
killed North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s half-brother has revealed that she was paid $90 for what she thought was going to be a prank, an official said Saturday.
Siti Aisyah, a 25-year-old Indonesian native, killed Kim Jong Nam at the Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia on Feb. 13 by spraying him in the face with
the VX nerve agent — one of the most powerful poisons in the world.
Malaysian officials have previously rejected Aisyah’s claim that she and Doan Thi Huong were duped into smearing something onto Kim’s face while he was walking through one of the airport’s terminals. The story went viral after it became apparent that Doan had worn a sweatshirt with the letters “LOL” emblazoned across the front during the incident.
Aisyah on Saturday pleaded with authorities to believe her, according to Andriano Erwin, Indonesia’s deputy ambassador to Malaysia. She also told investigators that she did not want her parents to visit her while in custody.
Kim Jong Nam killed with deadly VX nerve agent
One of the women suspected in the poisoning wore a sweatshirt with the letters “LOL” emblazoned across the front. (JEON HEON-KYUN/EPA)
“She doesn’t want her family get sad to see her condition,” Erwin said after a 30-minute meeting with Aisyah. “She only delivered a message through us to her father and mother not to be worried and take care of their health.”
Kim’s death made international headlines, as investigators suspect that his authoritarian half-brother might have masterminded the slaying.
Though Kim Jong Nam wasn’t a political threat — having been exiled from North Korea for taking a secret trip to Japan’s Disneyland in 2001 — Kim Jong Un might have considered him a potential rival in the secluded country’s dynastic dictatorship.
The revelation that the VX nerve agent most likely caused Kim’s death appears to be yet another indication that North Korea could have been responsible: the nation never signed a treaty that banned the deadly substance and has spent decades developing a sophisticated chemical weapons program.