malaysia kim jong nam suspect closeup
Murder suspect thought she was in TV prank
01:57 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

Woman says she was "not aware it was an assassination attempt"

Police: North Korean named Ri Jong Chol arrested

Jakarta, Indonesia CNN  — 

Authorities have arrested a fourth suspect in the mysterious death of the half brother of North Korea’s leader.

Suspect Siti Aishah is one of four people arrested in the death of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Police believe the victim was sprayed with poison as he waited to board a flight Monday at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia.

Aishah said she was “not aware it was an assassination attempt by alleged foreign agents,” Indonesian police chief Tito Karnavian told reporters in Aceh Province. Aishah is Indonesian.

Four people have been arrested in the killing: the Indonesian woman, a North Korean man, a Malaysian man and another woman carrying Vietnamese identification.

She said she had sprayed others in a similar manner “three to four times (before).” However, Karnavian told journalists, in this case, “there was allegedly a dangerous substance in the sprayer.”

Kim Jong Nam
Who killed Kim Jong Nam?
02:42 - Source: CNN

Aishah said “she was given a few dollars for the job,” Karnavian said. “She was used but she didn’t know what it was for.”

Police did not confirm who provided the sprayer to the suspects.

Twists and turns

This is the latest bizarre detail to emerge in the death of Kim Jong Nam.

Kim was on his way to catch a flight Monday morning to see his family in Macau, where he’s lived since his departure from North Korea years ago.

The Chinese territory, a short ferry or helicopter ride from Hong Kong, is a popular gambling destination with mainland Chinese.

In a picture taken on June 4, 2010 Kim Jong-Nam, the eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, waves after an interview with South Korean media representatives in Macau.  Kim Jong-Nam was in the limelight with Seoul's JoongAng Ilbo newspaper carrying a snatched interview with him at a hotel in Macau. Jong-Nam declined knowledge of the warship incident, it reported, and said his father is "doing well".  North Korean Leader  Leader Kim Jong-Il on June 7 attended a rare second annual session of parliament at which Kim's brother-in-law was promoted and the country's prime minister was sacked, state media reported.  REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT  AFP PHOTO / JOONGANG SUNDAY VIA JOONGANG ILBO (Photo credit should read JoongAng Sunday/AFP/Getty Images)
S. Korea: Kim Jong Un's half-brother murdered
02:00 - Source: CNN

The events leading up to his death are sketchy, but Selangor State Criminal Investigations Department Chief Fadzil Ahmat told Reuters Kim “felt like someone grabbed or held his face from behind.”

Kim felt dizzy and immediately went to an airport customer assistance counter to seek medical help. They were concerned enough to take him to a clinic on the premises.

An ambulance was called to take Kim to the hospital, but he died on the way.

Malaysian police have declined to release his body to North Korea without DNA from next of kin.

“This is a Malaysian investigation. The crime happened in our country and we have processes and laws to deal with such matters,” Mat told CNN.

CNN’s Sandi Sidhu contributed to this report