KUALA LUMPUR: Kim Jong-Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, had told airport officials that he felt 'dizzy', shortly before he died on Monday.
Police said, prior to the incident, Jong-Nam was at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2), about to board a 10am flight to Macau.
Jong-Nam, who was travelling alone, had at 9am told airport staff at a reception desk that he felt 'dizzy' after an unknown person had swabbed his face with an unknown object.
Selangor police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Fadzil Ahmat said Jong-Nam had gone to the counter to seek their assistance.
"He told them that someone had swabbed or wiped his face with something, and that he was feeling dizzy.
"The receptionist assisted in bringing him to a clinic at the airport. The clinic staff, after assessing his condition, sought the assistance of the nearby Putrajaya Hospital," he told the New Straits Times.
Fadzil said an ambulance picked up Jong-Nam from the airport. However, he died en route to the hospital.
Fadzil said police have launched an investigation to verify claims that the man could have been murdered.
He said for the time being, the case has been classified as 'sudden death', pending the post-mortem result.
It is understood that police have recorded statements from those who attended to Jong-Nam. Police are also scrutinising CCTV camera footage from the airport for clues.
Earlier reports had claimed that two female North Korean operatives had used a poison needle to assassinate Jong-Nam.
Police did not comment on the claims.
Jong-Nam was considered the heir apparent to the late Kim Jong-il, but has been in exile since 2003 following a falling out with Jong-il after his botched attempt to enter Japan using a forged passport.
After the death of Jong-il in late 2011, Jong-Nam had gone into hiding, fearing that Jong-un would see him as a threat and make him a target.