BREAKING: North Korea arrests US student for 'hostile act'

Source:BBC

North Korea says it has arrested a US student accused of committing a "hostile act" against the state.

State news agency KCNA identified him as University of Virginia student Otto Frederick Warmbier.
He had entered North Korea as a tourist with the intention "to destroy the country's unity", said KCNA, which added that the US government had "tolerated and manipulated" him.
It did not give further details, but said he was now under investigation.
An official at the US embassy in the South Korean capital, Seoul, told Reuters it was aware of the arrest.

Gareth Johnson, the owner of a China-based tour agency, told with Reuters Mr Warmbier had been on one of their tours in North Korea and that he was detained on 2 January.
"We are in touch with Otto's family, the US State Department and the Embassy of Sweden in Pyongyang and doing all we can to secure his release," Mr Johnson was quoted as saying.
Sweden represents US interests in North Korea as Washington and Pyongyang do not have diplomatic relations.

The student is the third Westerner known to be held in North Korea.
Hyeon Soo Lim, a Canadian pastor of South Korean origin, was sentenced to life imprisonment in December for an alleged plot to overthrow the government
A Korean-American is also thought to be in North Korean detention on charges of spying.
The latest incident comes amid escalating tensions, after the North said it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. The claim has not yet been confirmed.
A US B-52 bomber flew over South Korea in a show of force days after the test earlier this month.
South Korea has also resumed propaganda broadcasts over the border, while the North has been dropping propaganda leaflets on the South.