President Trump sent his condolences on Monday to the family of Otto Warmbier, the U.S. college student who was detained in North Korea for over a year and passed away only days after his return to America.
Otto Warmbier dead: Trump condemns ‘brutal’ North Korea regime https://t.co/eE5yQmWu4Y pic.twitter.com/MvdmH1uTUi
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In a statement released by the White House Monday evening, Trump denounced the North Korean regime.
“Melania and I offer our deepest condolences to the family of Otto Warmbier on his untimely passing,” Trump said in the statement. “There is nothing more tragic for a parent than to lose a child in the prime of life. Our thoughts and prayers are with Otto’s family and friends, and all who loved him. Otto’s fate deepens my Administration’s determination to prevent such tragedies from befalling innocent people at the hands of regimes that do not respect the rule of law or basic human decency. The United States once again condemns the brutality of the North Korean regime as we mourn its latest victim.”
The Hill reports Secretary of State Rex Tillerson received the news of Warmbier’s death with “deep sadness.”
“On behalf of the entire State Department and the United States government, I extend my condolences to the Warmbier family, and offer my prayers as they enter a time of grief no parent should ever know,” Tillerson said in a statement. “We hold North Korea accountable for Otto Warmbier’s unjust imprisonment, and demand the release of three other Americans who have been illegally detained.”
Warmbier passed away on Monday, only six days after landing back on American soil.