N. Korean suspect in Kim Jong Nam’s murder to be released Friday – Attorney

North Korean national Ri Jong Chol, arrested over the murder of Kim Jong Nam, half-brother of the country’s leader Kim Jong Un, will be released and deported from Malaysia on Friday due to lack of evidence, Malaysian Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali said Thursday. (Photo: Doyle Industries/Facebook)

TOKYO—North Korean national Ri Jong Chol, arrested over the murder of Kim Jong Nam, half-brother of the country’s leader Kim Jong Un, will be released and deported from Malaysia on Friday due to lack of evidence, Malaysian Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali said Thursday.

“He will be released and will be deported as he does not have any valid documents,” Apandi told the New Straits Times.

On Feb. 13, Kim Jong Nam was killed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. According to reports, a highly toxic gas was smeared on his face as he was about to board a flight to Macau. Kim is believed to have been killed by a VX nerve agent classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.

Following the murder, Malaysian police detained a number of people, including Ri, while several other suspects had left the country.

On Monday, the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that four of the eight suspects involved in the murder worked for North Korea’s Ministry of State Security and Foreign Ministry.