SHAH ALAM, Malaysia (AP) One of two women accused of killing North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns half brother by smearing VX nerve agent on his face was freed after two years of detention today when Malaysian prosecutors unexpectedly dropped the murder charge against her.
Indonesian Siti Aisyah and her Vietnamese co-defendant, Doan Thi Huong, have said they thought they were taking part in a prank for a TV show.
Prosecutors did not give any reason for the remarkable retreat in their case against Aisyah in the killing of Kim Jong Nam at a busy Kuala Lumpur airport terminal.
Indonesias government had lobbied repeatedly for her release. Vietnam has pushed less hard on behalf of Huong, and recently hosted leader Kim Jong Un for an official visit and a summit with President Donald Trump.
Aisyah cried and hugged Huong before leaving the courtroom and being ushered away in an Indonesian Embassy car. She told reporters that she had only learned this morning that she would be freed.
She flew back to Jakarta, Indonesias capital, later today and thanked the president and other officials for their help.
I feel happy, very happy that I cannot express in words, she told reporters at Jakartas airport. After this I just want to gather with my family.
Huong, who remains on trial, was distraught.
I am in shock. My mind is blank, she told reporters after Aisyah left.
The two women had been the only suspects in custody after four North Korean suspects fled the country the morning of Feb. 13, 2017, when Kim Jong Nam was killed.
Aisyahs release comes just a month before Indonesias general election and is seen as a boost to President Joko Widodo, who is seeking re-election.
Indonesias foreign ministry said in a statement that she was deceived and did not realize at all that she was being manipulated by North Korean intelligence.
It said Aisyah, a migrant worker, never had any intention of killing Kim.
Lawyers for the women have previously said that they were pawns in a political assassination with clear links to the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, and that the prosecution failed to show the women had any intention to kill. Intent to kill is crucial to a murder charge under Malaysian law.
Kim was the eldest son in the current generation of North Koreas ruling family. He had been living abroad for years but could have been seen as a threat to Kim Jong Uns rule.
