SEPANG, Malaysia (Reuters) — A hotel employee claimed on Friday (February 17) to have seen a woman who was suspected to be behind the death of North Korean leader’s estranged half-brother Kim Jong Nam, before and after the murder took place.
Police said on Wednesday (February 15) they have detained a woman at the Kuala Lumpur airport connected to the murder and was holding Vietnamese papers. Police told Reuters they were looking for a “few” other foreign suspects in connection with the case.
An employee of the City View Hotel who refused to be identified recalled seeing the woman checking in the hotel located in Sepang on January 12.
“I saw her during checkout from the hotel. She had two luggage along with a teddy bear. She booked a hotel room for two days, but because of the bad WiFi connection, she checked out a day early,” the employee said.
The employee also remembered how the woman changed her appearance when she checked out on Monday (February 13).
“All I know is that when she was checking in, her hair was long, but when she was checking out, it was short and she looked like a Korean pop star. I should have taken a photo with her,” the employee added.
Lawmakers in South Korea earlier sourced their spy agency saying it suspected two female North Korean agents had murdered Kim Jong Nam, and U.S. government sources also said they believed North Korean assassins were responsible.
The portly and gregarious Kim Jong Nam, eldest son of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, was assaulted on Monday (February 13) morning in the departure hall of Kuala Lumpur International Airport and died on the way to hospital, Malaysian police said.