No signs of cardiac arrest or puncture wounds were found on the body of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
Malaysia's director-general of health, Hisham Abdullah, told reporters Tuesday that the cause of death remains unknown and samples taken from Kim Jong-nam's body were sent to a research center for analysis. Abdullah stressed that the post-mortem was carried out scientifically and according to proper procedures, refuting claims of a cover-up by the North Korean ambassador.
He added the entire autopsy was conducted under the watch of seasoned forensic pathologists, radiologists and forensic dentists, and a full-body scans, autopsy and dental examinations were carried out in a "respectful way."
But he denied reports of a second autopsy. "There's been no second autopsy performed on the deceased person," since the first one on Feb. 17, two days after Kim was apparently assassinated with a toxic liquid at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Abdullah added that none of Kim's family have appeared for DNA testing to verify the identity of the deceased, indirectly refuting media reports that Kim's son Han-sol arrived in Malaysia to identify the body. The Chinese-language Oriental Daily quoted local police as saying media claims of Kim Han-sol's arrival were false.
Meanwhile, Japan's Jiji Press cited a source as saying that three of the four North Korean suspects in Kim Jong-nam's assassination had returned to Pyongyang, but the whereabouts of a fourth, O Jong-gil (55), remain unclear. Jiji said O, who is thought to have masterminded the crude hit, may have escaped to Thailand or Laos. 
|
