Kim Jong-nam, the murdered half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, had vials with atropine, an antidote for the lethal nerve agent he was poisoned with, a Malaysian court has said.
Kim Jong-nam was killed on February 13 by the presumable use of banned chemical weapons VX at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Toxicologist Dr. K. Sharmilah told the court that Kim Jong-nam had a dozen vials with atropine in his bag on the day he was murdered, according to Reuters.
Sharmilah said that symptoms similar to those of VX poisoning could also have been caused by insecticides. Atropine can be used as an antidote for some types of insecticides.
Siti Aisyah of Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong of Vietnam are both accused of smearing Kim's face with the banned nerve agent whilehe was waiting to board a plane at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on February 13. He died roughly two hours later.
READ MORE: Doctor: Kim Jong-nam's Soiled Underwear, Dilated Pupils Signs of Poisoning
There have been speculations that the North Korean government was involved in the murder, but Pyongyang has repeatedly denied the allegations, writing it off as part of a campaign against its nuclear program.
Deemed "the most potent of all nerve agents" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, VX is also classified by the United Nations as a weapon of mass destruction. According to Inverse, the nerve agent destroys the nervous system, causing paralysis and eventually death by suffocation.
