Malaysia says cause of death still unknown in killing of Kim Jong Nam

Malaysian authorities said on Tuesday they had yet to determine a cause of death in the killing of the half-brother of North Korea’s leader, and had still to confirm the identity as no next of kin has come forward.

Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was killed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Feb. 14.

Malaysia’s deputy prime minister has previously identified the victim as Kim Jong Nam, though formal identification of the corpse has not taken place.

“The cause of death and identity are still pending,” Dr Noor Abdullah, the director general of health at the Malaysian health ministry, told reporters.

South Korean and U.S. officials have said they believe North Korean agents assassinated Kim Jong Nam, who had been living in the Chinese territory of Macau under Beijing’s protection.

Newsverge reports that armed police are at the Kuala Lumpur hospital holding the body of Kim Jong Nam, local media has said, as his son was reportedly due to claim his remains.

Malaysian daily The Star reported that police wearing full tactical gear and armed with high-powered weapons arrived at the hospital’s forensics department to guard the body.