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Kim Jong-Nam Was Killed by VX Nerve Agent, Malaysians Say

nytimes.com

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Re: Kim Jong-Nam Was Killed by VX Nerve Agent, Malaysians Say

#31

Post by gwern »

coconut_crab wrote: post #29
gwern wrote: post #2

Does VX explain how the two women survived despite using bare hands to administer an apparently skin-absorbable poison? It has binary agent formulations, so each women could have one half on her hand and avoid any contamination by swiping very fast.

I read somewhere that they wore gloves before applying the poison. Wikipedia has something interesting about VX: > VX can also be delivered in binary chemical weapons which mix in-flight to form the agent prior to release. Binary VX is referred to as VX2,[6] and is created by mixing O-(2-diisopropylaminoethyl) O′-ethyl methylphosphonite (Agent QL) with elemental sulfur (Agent NE) as is done in the Bigeye aerial chemi…

Yes, that's what I meant.

Re: Kim Jong-Nam Was Killed by VX Nerve Agent, Malaysians Say

#32

Post by vpribish »

ultrahate wrote: post #7

Would you have celebrated the assassination of Hitler if one had been performed? I know that's a stretching comparison, but it's not too far off. Dude was garbage, deserved EXACTLY what he got. Hell, NK even runs concentration camps, so it's really not even that wild of a comparison.

This dude seems to have been more of a lazy dissident than part of the regime. username checks out in any case.

Re: Kim Jong-Nam Was Killed by VX Nerve Agent, Malaysians Say

#33

Post by patmcguire »

gozur88 wrote: post #21
anigbrowl wrote: post #5

I disapprove of assassination but I've got to admit this one scores 10/10 for sheer style.

What is it with these tinpot strongmen? Polonium, mortars, nerve gas... in my day when you wanted someone dead you just shot him.

It's easy to check for guns at customs.

Re: Kim Jong-Nam Was Killed by VX Nerve Agent, Malaysians Say

#34

Post by NoPiece »

ehnto wrote: post #26
tlow wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm merely suggesting that the comment claims to be interesting and related but because it is not directly related to the subject it seems off-topic and irrelevant.

Nor did he suggest it was. He said it was an interesting tid bit from the article. It was indeed an interesting tid bit. I also found your comment about newer practices interesting, and neither comment rebuts the other.

It isn't mentioned in the article though.

Re: Kim Jong-Nam Was Killed by VX Nerve Agent, Malaysians Say

#36

Post by asdz »

gwern wrote: post #2

Does VX explain how the two women survived despite using bare hands to administer an apparently skin-absorbable poison? It has binary agent formulations, so each women could have one half on her hand and avoid any contamination by swiping very fast.

I'm wondering, the first one would be safe for sure, but how would the second one that apply it be safe? The chemical would have react by the time she apply it right? And since she (either the Indonesian / Vietnamese) got the reacted chemical, wouldn't she die too?

Re: Kim Jong-Nam Was Killed by VX Nerve Agent, Malaysians Say

#37

Post by ransom1538 »

WHY?

Why kill people exotically? Why not just use a simple garrote with a thin wire? 10 seconds done, the head would be practically off. I am sure you could get a weird pair of head phones past security. If you poison someone with polonium/exotic nerve agent doesn't it narrow down the suspect pool?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Alexander_Litvine...

Re: Kim Jong-Nam Was Killed by VX Nerve Agent, Malaysians Say

#38

Post by M_Grey »

L_226 wrote: post #35

I had thought it was going to be a fentanyl or carfentanyl aerosol spray, I suppose that might have rendered him incoherent sooner though. The use of VX seems like bragging really (as if the act wasn't already adolescent enough).

Oh yeah... like using Polonium to kill Litvinenko... this is all about sending a message.

Re: Kim Jong-Nam Was Killed by VX Nerve Agent, Malaysians Say

#39

Post by M_Grey »

ransom1538 wrote: post #37

WHY? Why kill people exotically? Why not just use a simple garrote with a thin wire? 10 seconds done, the head would be practically off. I am sure you could get a weird pair of head phones past security. If you poison someone with polonium/exotic nerve agent doesn't it narrow down the suspect pool? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Alexander_Litvine...

Why do you go so far out of your way to kill someone publically, notoriously, in the first place? Simply having them die is something a state could reasonably accomplish without the publicity, or at least attempt to avoid publicity. When you use a means of assassination which could only have been provided by a state actor... you're sending a message.

Nobody ever has to admit that Russia was involved with Litvinenko... the DPRK never has to admit their role with Jon-Nam... the means used speaks for them.

That is the point

It's thug 101.

Re: Kim Jong-Nam Was Killed by VX Nerve Agent, Malaysians Say

#40

Post by NamTaf »

ransom1538 wrote: post #37

WHY? Why kill people exotically? Why not just use a simple garrote with a thin wire? 10 seconds done, the head would be practically off. I am sure you could get a weird pair of head phones past security. If you poison someone with polonium/exotic nerve agent doesn't it narrow down the suspect pool? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisoning_of_Alexander_Litvine...

Because slicing someone's head off requires you to be there, next to them, as it happens. You're standing next to the body as it gargles and bleeds everywhere and security will descend on you in a big way.

Wiping someone's face then bailing is something that the target will shrug off as 'some crazy' until some time later it kills them. This buys you time to get out of the place before anyone realises the full extent of what happened. Hence why they're back in Pyongyang, out of the reach of any law enforcement.

Pyongyang doesn't really care if the world knows it's them or not. I bet they care much more if they lose their highly trained assassins, though.

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