North Korean leader's half-brother 'was a CIA informant'

Toshifumi KITAMURA, Ed JONES / AFP

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's deceased half brother Kim Jong-Nam was working as a spy for American intelligence.

That's according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, which said he was killed in 2017 while on a trip to meet his Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contact.

The Journal cited a person familiar with the matter, adding that Kim Jong-Nam had met with CIA operatives earlier and established a "nexus".

In fact, a Japanese news outlet had reported in 2017 that Kim Jong-Nam had met with a US intelligence agent in a hotel in Malaysia, days before being killed at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. 

More from International

  • US, Iran and mediators make push for 45-day ceasefire

    The US, Iran, and a group of regional mediators are discussing the terms for a potential 45-day ceasefire that could lead to a permanent end to the war, Axios reported on Sunday, citing four US, Israeli and regional sources with knowledge of the talks.

  • US snatches airman from Iran as Trump, Israel ratchet up pressure

    US special forces rescued a downed airman in Iran in a complex operation that averted a potential crisis for President Donald Trump, as the war entered its sixth week with little sign of progress in diplomatic efforts for a resolution.

  • Ships near Italy rescue 32 migrants as 71 remain missing

    Two merchant vessels near the Italian coast recovered the bodies of two migrants and rescued 32 survivors from a boat trying to cross to Europe from Libya on Easter weekend, rescue charities said, citing the survivors as saying 71 others were lost at sea.

  • Nigerian army rescues 31 hostages after church attack

    Nigeria's army said on Sunday that it had rescued 31 civilians who were taken hostage during an attack on a church in northwest Kaduna state, while five people were found dead at the scene.

  • At least 11 killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon

    An Israeli airstrike on Kfarhata, a village in south Lebanon, killed seven people on Sunday, including a 4-year-old child, while another attack on the Jnah neighbourhood in Beirut killed four people and injured 39 others, Lebanon's health ministry said in a statement.