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The estranged brother of Kim Jong-un was smothered by mysterious assassins as he walked through the airport in Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia.

Police have now revealed there has been an attempted break-up at the morgue where his body is being held as North Korea demands his body be returned to Pyongyang.

Kim Jong-un’s diplomats have been refusing to cooperate over the investigation as both US and South Korean spooks blame the tyrannical regime for his murder.

North Korea are now calling for the release of three suspects detained in the connection with the murder – claiming they are being "detained unreasonably".

Cops are also treating a senior employee at the North Korean Embassy as a suspect over the killing.

(Image: GETTY)

Police chief Khalid Abu Baka said: "We knew there were attempts by someone to break into the hospital mortuary. We had to take precautions.

"We will not allow anyone to tamper with the mortuary.”

Special forces troops have now been deployed in a bid to beef up security in the morgue in the face of anymore attempts on the body.

(Image: GETTY) (Image: GETTY)

Khalid revealed cops know who the attempted thieves are, but refused to name them at a press conference.

“We know who they are. There is no need for me to tell you,” the police chief said, reports the Malay Mail.

Malaysian authorities refuse to hand over the body to the Kim family as North Korea have not provided DNA for positive identification.

(Image: GETTY)

Kim Jong-nam died en route to hospital of a seizure after he was attacked by lady assassins – one wearing a LOL t-shirt – while living in exile.

He famously fell out with his family after attempting to visit Disneyland in Tokyo, Japan, with a fake passport in 2001.

The 46-year-old was the eldest son of former leader Kim Jong-il and was for a long time considered the likeliest to inherit power.

Police have so far arrested four people including three foreigners over the killing – a Vietnamese woman, an Indonesian woman, a Malaysian man and a North Korean man.

Khalid said police “strongly believed” four suspects who fled Malaysia on the day of Kim’s death have gone to Pyongyang.

Kim Jong-un is now holding winter military drills following the killing and his latest ballistic missile launch, sparking fears of an invasion from North Korea by defence bosses in the South.