Beijing: Ri Jong-chol, a suspect in the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, said in Beijing that he was a victim of a conspiracy by Malaysian authorities attempting to damage the honour of North Korea.
Ri, a North Korean, accused Malaysia of using coercion to try to extract a confession from him, he told reporters outside the North Korea embassy in Beijing on Saturday.
He claims North Korean suspect: arrest was 'conspiracy'
Ri Jong Chol, a suspect in the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, said in Beijing that he was a victim of a conspiracy by Malaysian authorities attempting to damage the honor of North Korea.
Kim Jong-nam was murdered on February 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, after being assaulted by two women who Malaysian police believe smeared his face with VX, a chemical classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.
He claims North Korean suspect: arrest was 'conspiracy'
Ri Jong Chol, a suspect in the murder of the estranged half-brother of North Korea's leader, said in Beijing that he was a victim of a conspiracy by Malaysian authorities attempting to damage the honor of North Korea.
Kim Jong-nam was murdered on February 13 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, after being assaulted by two women who Malaysian police believe smeared his face with VX, a chemical classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction.
The murder of Kim Jong-nam has soured relations between Malaysia and North Korea, which had maintained friendly ties for decades
Ri said he was not at the airport on the day of the killing, and knew nothing about the accusation that his car was used in the case.
Ri was in Beijing en route back to North Korea after Malaysia deported him.His arrival at the Beijing international airport early on Saturday was greeted by a swarm of South Korean and Japanese reporters, but Ri was whisked away from the chaotic scene by Chinese police before he was able to make any statement.
Outside the embassy, Ri told reporters that he was presented with false evidence in Malaysia, and police showed him pictures of his family in detention.
"I realised that this is a conspiracy, plot, to try to damage the status and honour of the republic," Ri said.
South Korean intelligence and US officials say the murder was an assassination organised by North Korean agents.
Police in Malaysia have identified seven other North Koreans wanted in connection with the killing, including a senior embassy official and a member of staff at the North Korean airline Air Koryo. Four of them are known to have left Malaysia.
An arrest warrant was issued on Friday for the 37-year old airline worker, Kim Uk Il. Malaysia has stepped up checks at all border crossings for North Koreans linked to the case, police have said.
Malaysia's deputy prime minister and home minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, said authorities would also investigate a North Korea-linked company that is suspected of operating a sanctions-busting arms business in Malaysia.
Reuters reported this week that a front company run by North Korean intelligence agents ran an arms operation out of Malaysia.
"Definitely we are going to investigate any such incidences," Zahid said when asked about the arms operation on Friday.
North Korea has not commented on its suspected involvement in the arms operation.
Reuters
