The Kim Jong-nam assassination: meet the Indonesian woman caught up in the plot
- Siti Aisyah recalls how an innocent prank went horribly wrong, ending in murder and and landing her in jail
- ‘At the police station they told me I had been involved in the murder of a president’s brother. I laughed and said: You are joking’
The star-struck young woman blushes with delight as the filmmaker leans in close, confiding that “if today goes well, you’ll be known all around the world. You can become a famous actress”.
Her new job was to go up behind strangers at various locations around the Malaysian capital and smear baby oil on their faces while the film crew recorded the targets’ bemused reactions from a distance. She was paid 500 ringgit (US$119) for each “hit”.
Siti was told the oddball pranks were being edited into YouTube broadcasts, and the producers overseas were so impressed by her performances they were considering flying her to America.
But first there was one final prank to perform. In February 2017, the target was a mystery VIP checking in for a flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport and, this time, Siti would carry it out with another actress, set to approach from another direction.
As with each prank, the filmmaker produced a small, transparent bottle, poured its liquid contents onto Siti’s palms, pointed out her target in the busy departure area and sent her off in his direction.
