HANOI: Vietnam is verifying information about a woman carrying a Vietnamese passport arrested by Malaysian police over the murder of North Korean Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia on Feb 13, Vietnam News Agency reported.

VNA quoted the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department as saying on Monday that immediately after getting information on the case, the ministry directed the Vietnam Embassy in Malaysia “to work with local relevant bodies to clarify the information.”

A woman bearing a Vietnamese passport with the name Doan Thi Huong was arrested in Malaysia following the killing of Jong-nam, older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, at the KL International Airport 2 (klia2) in Sepang, Malaysia.

VNA reported that relevant agencies in Vietnam were also closely working on the case. It also said that the Vietnam Embassy in Malaysia was keeping a close watch on the case.

Malaysian police have also arrested another woman, Siti Aishah who carried an Indonesian passport; a Malaysian man and a North Korean man.

Jong-nam was at klia2 at 8am on Feb 13 to board a flight to Macau an hour later when a woman suddenly covered his face with a cloth laced with what is believed to be poison.

He sought help at a customer service counter at the airport and was rushed to hospital but died on the way.

He had gone to Malaysia on Feb 6 and carried a passport with the name of Kim Chol.

-BERNAMA