US student Otto Warmbier was ‘terrorised and brutalised’ and held in a coma for A YEAR by North Korea, dad says

THE father of a US college student imprisoned in North Korea and then returned to his home in a coma has told of his son's hellish ordeal.

Fred Warmbier said Otto, 22, was "terrorised and brutalised" during his 17-month detention in a labour camp and revealed he has been in a coma for more than a year.

"The day after he was sentenced, he went into a coma," he said in an interview with Tucker Carlson scheduled to air on Fox News tonight.

Fred said he and wife Cindy only learned of their son's condition last week.

The University of Virginia student was medically evacuated by plane  from North Korea and arrived in Cincinnati late Tuesday.

He was then taken by ambulance to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

A hospital spokeswoman did not provide an update on his condition, but said his parents planned to hold a Thursday morning news conference.

Their public appearance will be at Wyoming High School, one of Ohio's top-rated schools.

Warmbier graduated from there in 2013 as class salutatorian and had played soccer.

Residents of the northern Cincinnati suburb tied blue-and-white ribbons, the school colours, to trees near the family's home.

Joy at his release was mixed with concern over his condition.

In its first official comment since Warmbier was returned home, North Korea said it released him over humanitarian reasons.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency said he had been sentenced to hard labour but did not comment on his medical condition.

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former US ambassador to the UN, said there should be an investigation into what happened to Warmbier.

Richardson, a Democrat, credited the Department of State with securing Warmbier's return said a forceful response from the US  would be required "if he didn't get proper treatment."

City councilwoman Jenni McCauley said the tight-knit community was "thrilled" to have Warmbier back.

"Even though they're saddened by his condition, they're just glad for the family that he is home," McCauley said.

"For any parent, this is their worst nightmare. ... We're hoping that he will be OK."

Warmbier was serving a 15-year prison term with hard labour after he tearfully confessed that he tried to steal a propaganda banner while visiting the country.

Such detentions in the totalitarian nation have added to tensions between Washington and Pyongyang.

Three Americans remain in custody.

The US government accuses North Korea of using such detainees as political pawns.

North Korea accuses Washington and South Korea of sending spies to overthrow its government.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday that his department was continuing "to have discussions" with North Korea about the release of the other three.

When asked by Fox News what he would tell the families of those detained, Fred Warmbier said, "I wouldn't know what to say to them. This is, I've been told, not precedented."

Securing Warmbier's release "was a big priority" for President Donald Trump, who worked "very hard and very closely" with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

Warmbier was sentenced for alleged anti-state acts 

Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in a statement that they have been told their son has been in a coma since March 2016, and they had learned of this only one week ago.

The family said they were told by North Korean officials, through contacts with American envoys, that Warmbier fell ill from botulism sometime after his March 2016 trial and lapsed into a coma after taking a sleeping pill, the reported.

They said: "We want the world to know how we and our son have been brutalised and terrorised by the pariah regime" in North Korea.

They also said they are grateful he "will finally be with people who love him."

Military analysts Jane's report that the Korean People's Army uses botulism in its chemical weapons programme and in the 2000s defectors alleged biological weapons were tested on political prisoners.

Warmbier had a stopover tour in North Korea, en route to Hong Kong, where he was going to study.

At a press conference before his trial, a sobbing Warmbier said he had made "the worst mistake of my life" and pleaded to be released.

Republican Senator Rob Portman says North Korea should be "universally condemned for its abhorrent behaviour."

And Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown of Cleveland said the country's "despicable actions ... must be condemned".

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368