Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said in a statement quoted by The Star that the Chemistry Department’s Centre for Chemical Weapons Analysis performed a series of preliminary tests using dry swabs on samples taken from Kim’s eyes and face to identify the type of chemical used.
So how dangerous exactly is VX Nerve Agent?
There are apparently no known uses for except as a chemical weapon.According to Wikipedia, this substance has an amber-like colour and has no taste and odour. Merely 10mg of this toxic chemical is enough to kill a person via skin contact.
It is so toxic that the United Nations classified it as a weapon of mass destruction in the UN Resolution 687. You’re only allowed to use it for research, medical or pharmaceutical purposes in a small facility without exceeding 10kg per year per facility.
Khalid said in the statement that VX is also classified as a chemical weapon under the Schedule 1 of the Chemical Weapons Convention Act 2005 and Chemical Weapons Convention Act 1997.
While authorities have confirmed the mysterious substance which killed Kim Jong-nam, other exhibits involved are still undergoing analysis at the moment.
Kim, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was murdered after CCTV footage showed two women splashing a chemical on his face at KLIA2.
As reported by The Star, both women as well as a Malaysian man and a North Korean man have been arrested as suspects in the investigation.
It looks like this high-profile case just keeps getting more and more complicated as we get deeper into the investigation.
Until more news regarding the real culprit surfaces, we’ll just have to keep waiting on the edge of our seats.