A chemist says he found a byproduct of VX nerve agent on the shirt of the Indonesian woman on trial in Malaysia for the murder of the half brother of North Korea’s leader.
The testimony Thursday was the first evidence linking VX to either of the two suspects.
Previous witnesses have testified the nerve agent was found on Kim Jong Nam’s body and belongings and have identified acute VX poisoning as the cause of Kim’s death.
Indonesian Siti Aisyah, right, is escorted by police as she leaves after the court hearing at Shah Alam court house outside Kuala Lumpur, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017
Government chemist Raja Subramaniam told the court he found VX acid, a byproduct of the banned chemical weapon, on Siti Aisyah’s sleeveless T-shirt.
Raja said VX will degrade when it reacts with water, leaving detectable byproducts, and a person can fully decontaminate their hands by washing and scrubbing.
Court staff at the murder trial of Kim Jong-Un’s brother wore protective face masks and gloves as samples of the deadly nerve agent used to assassinate him were presented as evidence Tuesday.
Indonesian Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong are pleading not guilty to murdering Kim Jong-Nam by wiping poison on his face at Kuala Lumpur airport in February.
On the third day of their trial a pathologist said tests detected nerve agent VX in Kim’s eye mucus, on his face, in his blood and urine, and on his clothing.
Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, left, is escorted by police as she arrives for court hearing at Shah Alam court house outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017
Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong are pleading not guilty to murdering Kim Jong-Nam in February
Prosecutors and defense lawyers then took a 20-minute break to examine those samples, which were sealed in transparent plastic bags.
Most wore gloves and masks as a safety precaution after prosecutors warned the VX-tainted items may still be dangerous.
Kim Jong-Nam (pictured) is believed to have been killed after poison was wiped on his face at Kuala Lumpur airport in February.
After the break, Judge Azmi Ariffin also covered himself as the samples were officially admitted as evidence.
They have not testified but their defense has said the women believed they were playing a harmless prank for a hidden-camera TV show and were tricked by men suspected of being North Korean agents.
The nerve agent is banned by an international treaty as a weapon of mass destruction.
But it is believed to be part of North Korea’s chemical weapons arsenal. Kim was the eldest son in the current generation of North Korea’s dynastic rulers but was believed to have been an outcast who had lived abroad for years.
He reportedly never met current leader Kim Jong Un, who is widely believed to have perceived his sibling as a threat and targeted him for assassination.
The trial is being closely watched by the Indonesian and Vietnamese governments, which hired the defense lawyers for both women.
The nerve agent is banned by an international treaty as a weapon of mass destruction
An entrance of the Shah Alam court house is cordoned off as the trial of two women accused of killing North Korean leader’s brother is held in Shah Alam, Malaysia Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017