half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Kim Jong-nam, has been killed

The half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Kim Jong-nam, has been killed in an attack in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian police say he was waiting at the airport for a flight to Macau on Monday when a woman covered his face with a cloth which burnt his eyes.

He was using a passport in a different name at the time.

The late Kim Jong-il's eldest son is thought to have fled North Korea after being passed over for the leadership.

Kim Jong-nam was attacked at about 09:00 (01:00 GMT) on Monday while waiting at the budget terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport for a 10:00 flight to Macau, Malaysia's Star newspaper reports, quoting police.

How the attack actually unfolded is still unclear. Malaysian police official Fadzil Ahmat told The Star that Mr Kim had alerted a receptionist, saying "someone had grabbed him from behind and splashed a liquid on his face".

But quoted by Malaysian news agency Bernama, the same official said a woman had come at him from behind and "covered his face with a cloth laced with a liquid". Earlier reports spoke of a "spray" being used or a needle.South Korean media named the victim early on Tuesday but the Malaysian authorities initially only reported the sudden death of an unnamed North Korean national who had fallen ill at the airport.

Police then released a statement which quoted the victim's travel document identifying him as "Kim Chol", born on 10 June 1970.

Kim Jong-nam was born on 10 May 1971.

Police finally confirmed that the victim was indeed the half-brother of North Korea's leader.

It was not the first time Mr Kim had travelled under an assumed identity: he was caught trying to enter Japan using a false passport in 2001. He told officials he had been planning to visit Tokyo Disneyland.