Malaysia: VX Nerve Agent Used in the Murder of Kim Jong-nam

Malaysian police say they have identified the 'poison used' in the 'murder' of the half-brother of the North Korean leader as a nerve agent known as VX. VX is a highly toxic chemical that is also used in chemical weapons. According to Malaysian police officials, this highly toxic substance was found in samples taken from the face and eyes of Kim Jong-nam, and the Malaysian Chemistry Centre (Jabatan Kimia) has been investigating them. Jabatan Kimia is a government-affiliated center in Malaysia. The results of the tests were released one day after the North Korean government, after nearly two weeks of silence, finally responded officially to the killing of their leader's half-brother. North Korea, without naming the targeted individual, accused the Kuala Lumpur government of hostile actions. The nerve agent that Malaysia claims to have found during the tests and autopsy of Kim Jong-nam is a highly toxic substance that is more potent than materials like Tabun or Sarin, which are said to have been used in the chemical attack on Halabja. VX is classified among the 'V' nerve agents and is relatively better known among other agents in this category. 'V' chemical agents are relatively stable. Locations contaminated with these substances must be washed immediately. A person who has been in contact with VX must receive the necessary antidote immediately, which includes substances like pralidoxime or atropine antidote. In images captured from the moment of the assassination attempt on Kim Jong-nam, two women can be seen approaching him at Kuala Lumpur airport, one of whom applies a substance to his head and face before both flee. Malaysian police, based on surveillance camera footage at the airport, say the woman who smeared the 'toxic substance' on Kim Jong-nam's face immediately went to the restroom. Previously, in response to North Korea's comments on Thursday, it was questioned why the women who are said to have been involved in the incident were not poisoned. Currently, both women seen in the footage, one from Indonesia and the other with a Vietnamese passport, have been arrested. Malaysia has officially announced that a senior diplomat working at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur is also among the suspects. Investigators generally believe that at least four other suspects left for Pyongyang through Jakarta, Dubai, and Vladivostok in the hours following the incident. Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of the North Korean leader, had been estranged from the Kim family for years and was living outside the country. He was targeted while waiting at Kuala Lumpur airport for a flight to the Macau Special Administrative Region, part of the self-governing areas of the People's Republic of China.