PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The two women suspected to have murdered North Korean Kim Jong Nam had apparently lived in China for the past three months before their deadly "assignment".
According to a report by Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper China Press, both Siti Aisyah, 25, and Doan Thi Huong, 29, may not be North Korean agents, but were possibly duped by a spy ring into committing murder at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Doan, a Vietnamese national, was arrested on Wednesday at KLIA before she could take a flight while Indonesian national Siti Aisyah was arrested at 2am a day later.
The two women were said to have lived in China for between one and three months to get to know a certain male individual. During this time, they also worked as female escorts, reported China Press.
The paper added that the man the women befriended was a spy who introduced Doan to the four men, whom police are hunting down in connection with the assassination.
Siti Aisyah got involved when Doan was asked by the man to find a partner to shoot a prank video.
The two women, who knew each other, apparently rehearsed the "spoof" many times and were able to carry out the process proficiently.
The report also said that Siti Aisyah was tasked with using a handkerchief to cover Jong Nam's face while Doan administered an injection.
The two women have claimed that they had no idea that it would lead to trouble as they thought it was only supposed to be a filming of the prank being carried out.
China Press reported that Siti Aisyah claimed to have only met the other male suspects recently, and was unaware who Kim Jong Un or Kim Jong Nam was.
She alleged that she was paid US$100 (S$141.57) to pull off the "prank".
Jong Nam, 45, was killed by two women who splashed his face with a chemical at the KLIA2 departure hall at about 9am on Monday as he was about to leave for Macau.
The women then quickly got into a taxi and fled.
