Otto Warmbier’s parents break silence on son’s death, call North Korea ‘terrorist’ state

THE family of US student Otto Warmbier has spoken of what happened when they met their son on a plane from North Korea.

THE parents of a US student who died after being jailed in North Korea have branded the country “terrorists” and broken their silence on the “inhuman” suffering he was subjected to.

Fred and Cindy Warmbier have spoken for the first time since their son Otto died six days after returning from North Korea in a coma in June.

The 22-year-old University of Virginia student had been held in detention in the rogue state since March 2016 where he was sentenced to 15 years hard labour for allegedly trying to steal a poster.

His parents told Fox and Friends three months on from his death they were incensed North Korea were claiming to be a victim in an escalating war of words with US President Trump.

“We see North Korea claiming to be a victim and that the world is picking on them and we’re here to tell you North Korea is not a victim, they’re terrorists,” Otto’s father Fred Wambier said.

“They kidnapped Otto, they tortured him, they intentionally injured him. They are not victims they’re terrorists.”

WATCH: Fred and Cindy Warmbier speak out for the first time since the death of their son Otto | @ainsleyearhardt pic.twitter.com/foKsrRPv6U

— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) September 26, 2017

Fred Warmbier said his son was tortured beyond recognition by North Korea while being held there. Picture: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images/AFP.

Otto Warmbier died six days after returning to the US from a trip where he was sentenced to hard labour after allegedly trying to steal a poster. Picture: Supplied

The distraught parents revealed the shocking moment they met their son when he arrived from North Korea. They had been told he was in a coma with brain damage, which Mrs Warmbier said they underestimated.

“What we pictured, because we’re optimists, was that Otto would be asleep and then maybe in a medically-induced coma. And when our doctors here would work with him and he would get the best care and love that he would come out of it,” she said.

Instead, Mr Warmbier described how the family climbed the steps of the plane with the engine still running, along with their other children Austin and Greta.

“When we got halfway up the steps we heard this howling involuntary, inhuman sound,” he said.

“We weren’t really certain what it was. We climbed to the top of the steps, we looked in and Otto was on the stretcher across the plane and he was jerking violently making these inhuman sounds.

“Cindy and Greta ran off the plane. Austin and I walked over to Otto. He had a shaved head, he had a feeding tube coming out of his nose. He was staring blankly into space, jerking violently. He was blind, he was deaf. As we looked at him and tired to comfort him. It looked like someone had taken a pair of pliers and tried to rearrange his bottom teeth.

“Within two days of Otto being home, his fever spiked to 104 degrees. He had a large scar on his right foot. North Korea is not a victim ... they purposefully and intentionally injured Otto.”

North Korea denied it had mistreated the young student but he was returned to the US in a coma. Picture: KCNA

Students carry the body of Otto Warmbier at his funeral at Wyoming High School in Ohio. Picture: AFP PHOTO / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / BILL PUGLIANO

North Korea has previously denied mistreating the student.

The Warmbiers now want North Korea listed as a state sponsor of terrorism. The segment also caught the eye of the President, who tweeted that Otto was tortured “beyond belief’ by North Korea in his latest social media salvo fired at the state.

Great interview on @foxandfriends with the parents of Otto Warmbier: 1994 - 2017. Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

The comments come at the lowest point in decades between the two countries, after North Korea said it took Trump’s previous tweets as a declaration of war.

Earlier, Trump tweeted that he heard North Korea’s ambassador speak at the UN and: “If he echoes thoughts of Little Rocket Man, they won’t be around much longer!”

North Korea said it would shoot down US planes in response, forcing the White House to backtrack to say it was “absurd” to suggest it had declared war.

On Tuesday, China and Russia stressed the catastrophic consequences a war on the Korean peninsula would bring. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said all sides should avoid provocation.

“A war on the Korean Peninsula will have no winner, which will also be a tragedy for regional countries,” Lu told reporters at a daily briefing.

“Given our consistent opposition to the war and chaos on the peninsula, we totally disapprove of an escalation of the war of words between the US and North Korea.”