Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea's leader, was killed by a highly toxic nerve agent, says Malaysia.

Kim died last week after two women accosted him briefly in a check-in hall at a Kuala Lumpur airport.

Malaysian toxicology reports indicate he was attacked using VX nerve agent, which is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations, reports the BBC.

There is widespread suspicion that North Korea was responsible for the attack, which it fiercely denies.

It responded furiously to Malaysia's insistence on conducting a post-mortem examination and has accused Malaysia of having “sinister” purposes.

Malaysia’s police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said on Friday that the presence of the nerve agent had been detected in swabs taken from Kim’s eyes and face.

One of the women Kim interacted with at the airport on 13 February had also fallen ill with vomiting afterwards, he added.

Khalid said other exhibits were still under analysis and that police were investigating how the banned substance might have entered Malaysia.

“If the amount of the chemical brought in was small, it would be difficult for us to detect,” he said.

BDST: 1911 HRS, FEB 24, 2017
SR