North Korea: Virginia student arrested for ‘hostile acts’ while on tour

A North Korean news agency said on Jan. 22 that the country has detained a U.S. college student for committing a "hostile act" and wanting to "destroy the country's unity." (Reuters)

Nov. 30, 2015Workers at the end of the day walk along Kim Il Sung Square as part of their commute in Pyongyang. Wong Maye-E/AP

By Anna Fifield, Sarah Larimer and Susan Svrluga
January 22 

TOKYO — A University of Virginia student honored as an “intellectual risk-taker” has been arrested in North Korea, its state-run media said Friday, accusing the American of an unspecified “hostile act” against the state.

Otto Frederick Warmbier, 21, was detained Jan. 2 at Pyongyang airport as he prepared to leave after a five-day trip over the New Year’s holiday, said Gareth Johnson of Young Pioneer Tours, the agency that organized the trip.

This was four days before North Korea conducted its latest nuclear test, and makes Warmbier the third 

Westerner known to be held in North Korea — a move that is certain to elevate already high tensions with Washington.

But Warmbier’s detention was not made public until Friday, when the official Korean Central News Agency said it was questioning him about taking part in “anti-state activity.”

The brief statement gave no further information about the accusations or the current status of the student.
                                                               

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