KUALA LUMPUR: The two women who are the only suspects arrested in the assassination of an outcast from North Korea's ruling family have appeared in court in Malaysia.
Doan Thi Huong of Vietnam and Siti Aisyah from Indonesia arrived with armed escorts early Tuesday.
The pair are accused of smearing VX nerve agent on Kim Jong Nam's face at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13. The half brother of North Korea's current leader, Kim died soon afterward. Police have said four North Korean suspects fled the country that day.
The women have said they were duped into thinking they were playing a harmless prank for a hidden-camera show. Defense lawyers previously expressed fear the women will be scapegoats because other people believed to have knowledge of the case left the country.