The new suspects include an “important person,” says police chief Khalid Abu Bakar.

Malaysian police said on Sunday that they were hunting for more North Korean suspects over the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar has said the new suspects are in addition to the seven North Koreans already being sought in last month’s poisoning death of Kim Jong Nam at Kuala Lumpur’s airport.

Mr. Abu Bakar said the new suspects included an “important person,” but he declined to give further details.

Pursuing the legal route

“I do not deny that there are more North Koreans involved in the murder of Kim Jong Nam. We will follow the legal channel to get them,” he said. “I do not want to say more than that. If I do, they may run ... but we believe there is an important person too.”

Malaysian authorities had said two women smeared Kim’s face with the banned VX nerve agent on February 13 at a crowded airport terminal. He died within 20 minutes. The two women, an Indonesian and a Vietnamese, have been charged with murder.

Four of the seven initial North Korean suspects left Malaysia on the same day of the killing. Police have obtained an Interpol red alert notice for the four men, believed to be back in Pyongyang. Police said the other three men are believed to be hiding in the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.