(LEAD) N. Korean passport holder arrested in Malaysia over death of leader's half brother: report

(ATTN: UPDATES with details, background)

TOKYO, Feb. 18 (Yonhap) -- Malaysian police arrested a 47-year-old man possessing a North Korean passport in Kuala Lumpur on Friday night in connection with the death of the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Japan's Kyodo News reported, citing a local newspaper.

The arrested man appears to be one of the four male suspects believed to have ordered two female collaborators to kill the leader's brother, Kim Jong-nam, at a Kuala Lumpur airport on Monday, Kyodo reported, citing the China Press, a Chinese-language newspaper in Malaysia.

The China Press reported that the arrested man is a North Korean national, but Malaysian police have not confirmed it, according to Kyodo. The paper was also quoted as saying that the arrested man has a record of entering Malaysia multiple times.
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