The body of the assassinated half-brother of North Korea’s leader is to undergo an autopsy Wednesday, police said, as they tried to piece together how the Cold War-style killing happened at a Malaysian airport.

Two female agents are believed to have used some kind of toxin in the attack, with reports from Malaysia and South Korea saying Kim Jong-Nam had been stabbed with poison-tipped needles or had chemicals sprayed in his face.

The assassination, which came as North Korea readied to celebrate the birthday this week of the two men’s father, illustrates the “brutal and inhumane” nature of the Pyongyang regime led by Kim Jong-Un, Seoul said.

Police in Malaysia are examining CCTV footage from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to try to determine what happened during the attack on Monday morning.

“He told the receptionist at the departure hall that someone had grabbed his face from behind and splashed some liquid on him,” Selangor state’s criminal investigation chief Fadzil Ahmat was reported as saying by Malaysia’s The Star newspaper. “He asked for help and was immediately sent to the airport’s clinic. At this point, he was experiencing headache and was on the verge of passing out,” said Fadzil.

“At the clinic, the victim experienced a mild seizure. He was put into an ambulance and was being taken to the Putrajaya Hospital when he was pronounced dead,” he said.

South Korean reports had earlier suggested the two female assassins had used poison-tipped needles during the killing, before fleeing in a taxi.

On Wednesday his body was taken to a Kuala Lumpur hospital under police guard, where pathologists were expected to run tests to determine exactly how he died.

Source: AFP