DEATH BY NERVE AGENT

Suspects in Kim Jong Nam Killing Plead Not Guilty

Trial begins for 2 women accused of slaying the North Korean leader’s half-brother.

Two women accused of assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s estranged half-brother at a crowded airport in Kuala Lumpur in February have entered not-guilty pleas as the trial in the high-profile case begins. Siti Aisyah of Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong of Vietnam entered the pleas at Malaysia’s High Court on Monday, nearly eight months after Kim Jong Nam was poisoned in broad daylight. The two suspects—who could face the death penalty if convicted—are accused of smearing a banned nerve agent on Kim’s face in a busy airport terminal, though they insist they thought they were playing a harmless prank for a TV show. Several North Koreans suspected of involvement in the killing left Malaysia before police could question them. The defense for the two suspects has asked the judge to order that four other individuals, listed on the charge sheet as having a motive to kill Kim, be identified in court.