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Kim Jong-un's Half-Brother Reportedly Killed in Malaysia
Kim Jong-un's estranged half-brother has reportedly been killed:
The half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been killed in Malaysia, South Korean and Malaysian sources say. Kim Jong-nam, 45, is said to have been targeted at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, the capital. A source close to the Malaysian PM's office told the BBC that Mr Kim was killed in the city, saying his body was now undergoing an autopsy.
Kim Jong-nam was the eldest son of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
Also at Bloomberg, NYT, Reuters, and DW.
Eldest Son of Former North Korean Dictator Assassinated
In a story filed at 23:22 GMT 2017-02-14, China-based SINA reports
[...] South Korea's TV Chosun, a cable television network, said that Kim was poisoned at Kuala Lumpur airport by two women believed to be North Korean operatives, who were at large, citing multiple South Korean government sources.
However, Selangor Police chief Abdul Samah Mat was reported to have said that a woman had approached Kim Jong-nam at the airport departure lounge and covered the victim's head with a cloth which contained an unidentified liquid.
[...] In 2001, Kim Jong-nam was caught at an airport in Japan traveling on a fake passport, saying he had wanted to visit Tokyo Disneyland.
He was known to travel to Hong Kong, Macao and the Chinese mainland. He said several times over the years that he had no interest in leading his country.
Numerous North Koreans of influence who were suspected of less than total loyalty to the regime have been killed, apparently at the order his brother, the dictator. It appears that this latest death was simply tying up a loose end.
Earlier reports of poisoned needles or sprayed poison appear to lack credibility.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by VLM on Wednesday February 15 2017, @10:02PM
covered the victim's head with a cloth which contained an unidentified liquid.
Yeah so about that, wtf? Hmm something liquid or really high vapor pressure at room temp, that didn't kill the first responders, that presumably didn't kill the attacker (so skin proof but inhalation killer).
I'm sitting here trying to think it over.
Even very short persistence nerve agents would kill the passersby and probably the killer and maybe the first responders.
Its a serious tech question, thinking back to my chemistry days, what in the quant lab or the ochem lab could have killed me by inhalation but not the folks around me, not unusually noteworthily stinky... this has got to be some hard core crazy nerve gas type stuff, like almost hollywood plot. Its not as simple as "well it was chloroform".
Its strange, I mean why not just knife the guy? I suppose this shows off how capable they are to go a hit with chemicals this weird.
You know this is gonna lead to new regs like "no liquids in carryons at all". Personally I'd fly on a completely nude aircraft IF it would allow skipping security completely (which seems safe enough?) I'd give 50:50 odds that nude flights will exist within two decades.
I'd give them a pass if the target had a known severe allergy. If all they did was spray peanut oil at him and he was allergic to peanuts then its not quite so james bond movie plot.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by tangomargarine on Wednesday February 15 2017, @10:13PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_subway_sarin_attack#Attack [wikipedia.org]
I mean, they dropped multiple bags of the stuff (almost a liter each, per 5 attackers) in the middle of rush hour in Tokyo and still only managed to kill 12 people. Sounds like a couple drops to the bag would plausibly be enough to kill the guy but not effect others nearby.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday February 15 2017, @10:29PM
Yeah the Japanese attack fits in with the army training I had a quarter century ago, the problem with chemical attacks is dispersion, its like nukes, you vaporize the folks 10 feet away a billion times too much and a mile away at least some people survive unharmed.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday February 15 2017, @10:30PM
but obviously the point is one dead nerve gas victim implies there should be about 3 serious casualties (like 100% disabled and/or died very young) and maybe 50 partially disabled for life. Just in case anyone missed that.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 15 2017, @11:46PM
you vaporize the folks 10 feet away a billion times too much
Optimally, you want to vaporize folks just enough to get the job done, to save on resources. Wait, wasn't VLM the one advocating Concentration Camps for immigrants? Oh, dear, the whole discussion just took on a Nazi tinge.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 16 2017, @03:17PM
Concentration Camps for immigrants
Alternative freedom areas, you mean.
(Score: 2) by zocalo on Wednesday February 15 2017, @10:41PM
I guess we'll have a better idea when the results of the autopsy inevitably get made public, and I can't help but wonder how well alleged DPRK assassins do under interrogation when faced with a choice between a trail with a mandatory hanging if found guilty or some kind of "deal".
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday February 15 2017, @10:49PM
autopsy
Won't that be fun... I just realized if they find nothing, it could be some top secret military stuff or lets face it, fat old bastard you know you're a dead man walking for political reasons, two agents sneak up on you and slap a towel with some perfume from her purse on it and they literally scare you to death into a massive heart attack. A week later some poor Dr get stuck trying to find the "missing poison", which is missing because there isn't one.
OMG I'm under attack oh no, is this what nerve gas smells like? panic panic panic panic fall over dead
(Score: 4, Insightful) by bob_super on Wednesday February 15 2017, @11:32PM
Put cloth over face, he reaches up to remove, needle-stab him in the genetically-enhanced posterior.
Enjoy as doctors and the CIA are puzzled not to find traces in the lungs.
(Score: 2) by zocalo on Wednesday February 15 2017, @11:52PM
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 16 2017, @07:59AM
Malaysia has decent political and economic ties with North Korea so don't be surprised if they find nothing:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia%E2%80%93North_Korea_relations [wikipedia.org]
A Malaysian "university" even gave Kim Jong Un an honorary doctorate:
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2013/10/23/help-uni-kim-jong-un-phd/ [thestar.com.my]
It's not like Malaysia has a good track record for such stuff: http://www.sarawakreport.org/2015/12/how-ags-office-connived-to-prevent-a-second-post-mortem-on-kevin-morias-exclusive-expose/ [sarawakreport.org]
(Score: 2) by inertnet on Wednesday February 15 2017, @11:30PM
Could it have been a biological attack? A bacteria containing cloth, handled by someone who was vaccinated against it? Or even a fungus? Something that you don't have to bring into a country, but that can be 'created' in a hotel room.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday February 15 2017, @11:34PM
Name one which kills you in minutes, though...
(Score: 3, Informative) by Hawkwind on Wednesday February 15 2017, @11:59PM
Looks like they've brought in one person: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/15/kim-jong-nam-malaysian-police-arrest-female-suspect-over-death [theguardian.com].
(Score: 2) by butthurt on Thursday February 16 2017, @07:04PM
At least three people have now been arrested.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/324700/more-arrests-over-death-of-kim-jong-nam [radionz.co.nz]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 16 2017, @12:40AM
I believe you're over thinking the situation. The cloth most likely contained a nude picture of Kim Jong-Un spread eagle. The disgust and shock was enough the trigger a heart attack in the fatty half brother. Case closed.
(Score: 2) by Sulla on Thursday February 16 2017, @05:48AM
Maybe they thought they were getting away with something. A knife is an obvious thing. If this had been done successfully might have come off as a heart attack.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam