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How Assassins Likely Killed Kim Jong-un’s Half Brother with a Weapon of Mass Destruction

Two women allegedly used the odorless and tasteless nerve agent VX to attack Kim Jong-nam.

Malaysian authorities said Friday that Kim Jong Un's half brother was assassinated with a nerve agent called VX, which is classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction. Two women allegedly used the odorless and tasteless nerve agent to attack Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, at Kuala Lumpur airport almost two weeks ago. After results from the first autopsy on Kim Jong Nam proved inconclusive, a second round of testing revealed the presence of the highly-toxic chemical. The North Korean government has not responded to the latest developments in the case but has previously said it would reject the findings of any autopsy, calling it a violation of the victim's human rights. Khalid Abu Bakar, Malaysia's inspector general, told reporters on Friday that the findings came from swabs taken from the victim's face and eyes. Because VX does not evaporate quickly and can remain toxic for some time, Khalid said the airport would be decontaminated. Khalid revealed that an investigation is underway into how the nerve agent was brought into the country, but the substance—typically an oily, amber-colored liquid—is lethal at extremely low doses, meaning it could have easily been concealed for smuggling. Read more on VICE News

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