KUALA LUMPUR: Armed men stood guard on Tuesday at the morgue holding the body of the assassinated half-brother of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un, with officials denying reports the dead man’s son had arrived to claim the remains.

The corpse of Kim Jong-Nam — who was killed last Monday at Kuala Lumpur airport — has been at the centre of a diplomatic row between Pyongyang and Malaysia, after the North insisted it be returned and objected to an autopsy being performed.

But Malaysia rejected the request, saying the remains must stay in the morgue until a family member identified them with a DNA sample.

Jong-Nam’s son Kim Han-Sol had been due to arrive in Kuala Lumpur from Macau on Monday night, local media and intelligence sources said, but AFP was unable to confirm his presence in the city.

In the early hours of Tuesday a convoy of four unmarked vehicles was seen entering the hospital compound where they dropped off dozens of Malaysian special forces. They were later replaced by private security officers.

A white police van was seen leaving the complex at 4am.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2017