US student Otto Warmbier, who was recently rleased by North Korea has died in hospital in home city of Cincinnati
ADVERTISEMENTThe American student who was released last week after being held prisoner in North Korea for 17 months has died in hospital in home city of Cincinnati.
Twenty-two-year-old Otto Warmbier was returned to the US on Tuesday but it emerged that he had been in a coma for nearly a year.
His father revealed that US doctors had diagnosed extensive brain damage which had left him in an unresponsive state.
In a statement the family blamed torturous mistreatment for their son’s death at the hands of the North Koreans.
The touching, heartbreaking statement of Otto Warmbier’s parents, on their son’s death after being released from captivity in North Korea. pic.twitter.com/nuPzKgGzJR
— Pádraig Belton (@PadraigBelton) June 19, 2017
President Donald Trump has denounced the brutality of the North Korean regime:
“[…]Otto Warmbier has just passed away. He spent a year and a half in North Korea. A lot of bad things happened but at least we got him home to be with his parents, where they were so happy to see him even though he was in very tough condition. But, he just passed away a little while ago. It’s a brutal regime and we’ll be able to handle it.”
Melania and I offer our deepest condolences to the family of Otto Warmbier. Full statement: https://t.co/8kmcA6YtFDpic.twitter.com/EhrP4BiJeB
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2017
Warmbier was visiting the isolated nation as a tourist when he was arrested for attempting to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel.
Pyongyang said they were releasing him on “humanitarian grounds” after he fell ill.