KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) – Two women accused of poisoning the estranged half brother of North Korea’s ruler in a bizarre airport assassination are expected to plead innocent when they appear in a Malaysian court on Friday, their lawyers said.
Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong are suspected of smearing Kim Jong Nam’s face with the banned VX nerve agent at a crowded airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 13. The women, who face the death penalty if convicted, say they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank for a hidden-camera show.
They are the only suspects in custody in a killing that South Korea’s spy agency said was part of a five-year plot by reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to kill a brother he reportedly never met. Four North Korean suspects fled the country, police say.
The women’s lawyers say their clients are expected to plead not guilty at the High Court Friday.
Here’s a look at the significance of Kim’s death and the two suspects: