Indonesian suspect in death of Kim Jong-nam 'was paid $90 to carry out attack'

Indonesia’s ambassador to Malaysia says Siti Aisyah thought she was on a TV show

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, left, and his half-brother Kim Jong-Nam (AP)

One of the women accused of assassinating North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s half brother was paid just $90 (£72) to carry out the attack, an Indonesian diplomat has said.

Siti Aisyah, an Indonesian national, is one of three people being held by police on suspicion of murdering Kim Jong-nam with deadly nerve agent VX at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia earlier this month.

Aisyah, 25, claimed she was duped into the plot after being told she was taking part in a Japanese TV prank show where they would spray water in men’s faces – a claim echoed by Indonesia’s deputy ambassador to Malaysia, Andriano Erwin, who has visited her in custody.

The Vietnamese foreign ministry confirmed that one of the other suspects, Doan Thi Huong, a Vietnamese citizen, also thought she was taking part in a prank.

Another suspect, a man, was also arrested.

A coroner’s report released by Malaysian authorities this week showed Kim Jong-nam, who had been living in partial exile for over a decade, had been killed by two women who approached him with the poison on their hands which they then wiped on his face one after the other.

VX, which was listed under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), is the combination of two chemicals mixed together at the last moment to create a reaction.

It is odorless, colourless and kills its victims by blocking the enzyme which allows muscles to relax – causing them to clench and spasm uncontrollably even meaning the victim cannot breathe.

Just 10 milligrams of VX can be enough to kill an adult if there is skin contact.

It was discovered in the 1950s by US scientists researching pesticides but the majority of the world’s supply has been destroyed since the signing of the CWC.

North Korea is not party to the agreement and is believed by South Korean intelligence to have a stockpile between 2,500 to 5,000 tonnes of the chemical weapons, The New York Times reported.

It comes as Malaysia said it would issue an arrest warrant for a North Korean ambassador wanted in connection with the murder.

CCTV image shows Doan Thi Huong at Kuala Lumpur airport at the time of the incident

Malaysia said earlier in the week it that Hyon Kwang Song, a second secretary at the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, was wanted for questioning but they said they could not compel him to appear because he had diplomatic immunity.

They have now changed their minds after a week of silence.

Abdul Samah Mat, the police chief leading the investigation, said authorities would give the diplomat “reasonable” time to come forward.

If he doesn't, police will issue a notice compelling him to do so, though diplomats have immunity privileges even in criminal cases.

North Korea has denied that it had anything to do with Kim Jong-nam’s death, saying he “suddenly fell into a state of shock” and died after suffering a “heart stroke”.

They accused investigators of “recklessly” making their claims an established fact.

It also called for Aisyah and Doan to be released, as they were “innocent”, and the return of Kim Jong-nam’s body to North Korea.