Assassination of Kim Jong Nam appears to be visible on CCTV footage

The brother of the North Korean leader was likely poisoned.

ByABC News
February 20, 2017, 10:37 AM

— -- A Japanese television network has released CCTV video, which it says it obtained from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, of Kim Jong Nam's assassination.

The video is grainy, and parts of it are difficult to discern, but it appears to show one of two women grabbing a man who appears to be Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, from behind and putting him in what looks like a chokehold.

The apparent assassination, allegedly accomplished through the application of a fast-acting poison to his face, lasts only a few seconds in the footage.

Kim Jong Nam can later be seen seeking assistance from employees at the airport. Malaysian authorities said he died minutes later on the way to a hospital.

Malaysian police have arrested four people so far — the latest, a man carrying an ID that identified him as Ri Jong Chol, a police statement said. He was picked up Friday night.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Monday that his government's investigation of the killing will be "objective," according to Reuters.

"We have no reason we want to do something to paint North Korea in a bad light, but we will be objective," Najib told reporters in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Kim Jong Nam, who was likely 45 or 46 years old, was the eldest son of the late Kim Jong Il, the second-generation leader in the Kim family, which has ruled North Korea since its founding in 1948.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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