4th arrest in death of Kim Jong-un's half brother
North Korea's ambassador to Malaysia says his country has not consented to post-mortem examination
Malaysian police said on Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man in connection with the murder of the estranged half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as a diplomatic spat over his body escalated.
Kim Jong-nam died this week after being assaulted at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with what was thought to be a fast-acting poison. South Korean and U.S. officials have said he was assassinated by North Korean agents.
Malaysian police said the latest arrest connected with the murder was made on Friday night, and the suspect was identified as Ri Jong Chol, born on May 6, 1970. He was in possession of a Malaysian i-Kad, which is an identification card given to foreign workers, they added.
"He is suspected to be involved in the death of a North Korean male," read a statement.
The police chief for Selangor state, Abdul Samah Mat, said the suspect had been remanded in police custody.
Two female suspects, one an Indonesian and the other carrying Vietnamese travel documents, have already been arrested, while a Malaysian man has been detained. At least three more suspects are at large, government sources have said.
Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, had spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea.
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South Korea's intelligence agency told legislators in Seoul that Kim had been living with his second wife in the Chinese territory of Macau, under China's protection.
He had been at the Kuala Lumpur airport to catch a flight to Macau when he was killed.
Malaysia performed a second autopsy on Kim Jong-nam because the first procedure was inconclusive, an official said Saturday.
Earlier, Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah dismissed media reports that a second autopsy would have to be conducted.
A Malaysian official with knowledge of the investigation confirmed the second autopsy started Friday night and said that the results of the first one were inconclusive. He asked that his name not be used because he is not authorized to speak to the media.
Diplomatic row
North Korea said in the early hours of Saturday that it would categorically reject Malaysia's autopsy report on the death of Kim Jong-nam, and accused Malaysia of "colluding with outside forces," in a veiled reference to rival nation South Korea.
Malaysia hit back by saying the country's rules must be followed. The foreign ministry has yet to make any comment. Health minister Dr S.Subramaniam told state news agency Bernama that Malaysia was waiting for the toxicology report to complete the autopsy.
He said the autopsy report would hopefully be released "within this week."
The case threatens to weaken North Korea's ties with Malaysia, one of the few countries that has maintained good diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.
Kim Jong-nam was assaulted at the low cost terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday with what is believed to be fast-acting poison before he could board a flight to Macau. He sought help but died on the way to the hospital.
North Korea demanded on Friday night that Kim Jong-nam's body be released immediately. It had earlier tried to persuade Malaysian authorities not to carry out an autopsy.
"The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing," the North Korean ambassador Kang Chol told reporters outside the hospital where the body of Kim Jong-nam is being kept.
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"We will categorically reject the result of the post mortem ... "
He said Kim Jong-nam had a diplomatic passport and was under the consular protection of North Korea.
With files from The Associated Press