The half-bother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been killed in a suspected assassination at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

The incident occurred on Monday morning, when Kim Jong-nam – also known as Kim Chol and the eldest son of the late despot Kim Jong-il – was attempting to board a flight to Macau.

Malaysia’s Bernama news agency suggests that a woman was responsible for the attack.

“Initial police investigations found the man was at KLIA at 8am to take a flight to Macau,” police chief Fadzil Ahmat was quoted saying. “While waiting for the flight, a woman came from behind and covered his face with a cloth laced with a liquid.

“Following this, the man was seen struggling for help and managed to obtain the assistance of a KLIA receptionist as his eyes suffered burns as a result of the liquid,” he added.

It is not clear what the liquid was, but Kim Jong-nam is reported to have died on his way to hospital. The woman escaped, and police were reported by Reuters as saying that “there are no suspects”.

Kim Jong-nam, 45, is reported to have spent most of his time outside North Korea in recent years, including spells in mainland China, Macau and Singapore.