A North Korean national has been arrested over the killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half-brother, Malaysian police say.

The first North Korean to be arrested over Kim Jong-nam’s death was named as Ri Jong Chol, 46, reports the BBC.

An Indonesian woman, a Malaysian man and a woman with a Vietnamese passport were detained earlier.

Police believe poison was sprayed into Kim’s face as he waited to board a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Macau.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi formally confirmed on Thursday that the dead man, who was traveling under the name Kim Chol, was Kim Jong-nam.

Police say the latest suspect was detained on Friday evening in Selangor, near the Malaysian capital. No further details were given.

One of the detained women, an Indonesian national named as Siti Aisyah, is said to have told Malaysian police she had been paid to perform what she thought was a prank.

A Malaysian man thought to be her boyfriend was detained along with her.

The woman carrying a Vietnamese passport has been identified as Doan Thi Huong.

BDST: 1721 HRS, FEB 18, 2017
SR