Malaysia says Kuala Lumpur airport safe, no trace of deadly VX nerve agent after Kim murder

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A Hazmat (hazardous materials) team conducts checks inside Kuala Lumpur Internatinal Airport 2 (KLIA2) airport terminal. Photo: EPA

Published: 10:42am, 26 Feb 2017

Malaysian police have completed a sweep of the airport terminal where the exiled half-brother of North Korea’s leader was attacked and say they found no trace of the nerve agent that was suspected to have been used to kill him.

Senior police official Abdul Samah Mat, who is leading the investigation, declared the budget terminal at Kuala Lumpur’s airport a “safe zone” after the sweep detected no hazardous material. More than a dozen officers in protective gear conducted the two-hour sweep early Sunday.

A Hazmat (hazardous materials) team conducts checks at the clinic where Kim Jong-nam was initially examined. Photo: EPA

The investigation has unleashed a serious diplomatic fight between Malaysia and North Korea, a prime suspect in the February 13 killing of Kim Jong-nam. Friday’s revelation by Malaysian police that the banned chemical weapon VX nerve agent was used to kill Kim raised the stakes significantly in a case that has broad geopolitical implications.

Two women are seen shoving something into Kim’s face in leaked CCTV airport footage. The 45-year-old later suffered a seizure and died before he reached hospital.

A still image from a CCTV footage appears to shows Kim Jong-nam (circled in red) talking to airport staff, after the February 13 attack. Photo: Reuters