IGP clears the air on Jong-Nam case (Updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: Diplomatic immunity enjoyed by the North Korean embassy's second secretary here may hinder his arrest over the death of a North Korean man, likely to be Kim Jong-Nam — the half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said second secretary, Hyong Kwang Song, 44 had diplomatic immunity and no arrest warrant was issued against him.
"We will follow the required international protocol to interview him. The investigations are ongoing and this is part of it. If you have nothing to hide, you do not have to be afraid. You should cooperate. We will follow the rules. We do not care if others do not follow the rules but we will," he said, adding that police have their ways to question him in accordance with international protocol.
Khalid also said police did not offer the North Korean embassy to partake in the probe but sought its cooperation to allow investigators to interview its second secretary, a request police made through the local foreign affairs ministry.
On another North Korean suspect, Kim Uk-Il, 37, a staff of Air Koryo, the national carrier airline of North Korea, Khalid said there are no restrictions on summoning him for an interview and police are on the lookout for him.
He declined to say if both men are in hiding at the North Korean embassy here.
A third suspect, Ri Ji U @ James, 30, is also being sought by police and is said to be still in Malaysia.
He said police have also applied to Interpol to trace four other North Korean men who fled Malaysia the same day the victim was killed on Feb 13.
On North Korea's accusations that Malaysia was responsible for the death of the victim and if police are concerned about national security as a result of a possible retaliation from the country, Khalid responded: "I do not think so. This is a crime and it has happened here involving a North Korean. We are just investigating a case of crime, that's all. Why should it involve national security. The situation may be tense but everybody must understand. We have to take all measures and investigate. Why should we be blamed. How can they blame us, it can happen to anybody, any national and the same procedure will apply."
He said there is no truth to claims that police had received DNA samples of the dead man's next of kin or sent his samples over to his family to test for a match.
"Not true. We did not send any sample anywhere and we did not receive any sample of DNA from any country. We also do not have plans to send any of our officers to collect such samples. We have our ways to get the samples," he said.
Khalid said the pathological reports on a post mortem on the victim is yet to be ready.
It is believed that Uk-Il and Kwang Song were among two women and four other North Koreans who were present at the klia2 when the victim whose passport identified him as Kim Chol died after being attacked at the airport on Feb 13.
The four escaped Koreans were identified as Rhi Ji Hyon, 33, Hong Song Hac, 34, O Jong Gil, 55, and Ri Jae Nam, 57.
The two women, Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 28, and Indonesian, Siti Aishah, 25, and a North Korean chemist, Ri Jong-Chol, 47, are in police custody.