Obama Issues Statement on Otto Warmbier’s Death

Following criticism, Obama spokesman says administration tried to secure release

Otto Frederick Warmbier (C), a University of Virginia student who was detained in North Korea since early January 2016, is taken to North Korea's top court in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by Kyodo on March 16, 2016. REUTERS/Kyodo

Former President Barack Obama defended his administration on Tuesday afternoon after it was criticized for not doing enough to try and rescue American college student Otto Warmbier from North Korean detainment.

“During the course of the Obama Administration, we had no higher priority than securing the release of Americans detained overseas,” Obama spokesman Ned Price said in a statement, Deadline.com reported.

“Their tireless efforts resulted in the release of at least 10 Americans from North Korean custody during the course of the Obama administration.”

Warmbier, 22, died this week after he was sent home to the United States in a coma.

A person believed to be Otto Warmbier is transferred from a medical transport airplane to an awaiting ambulance at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, Ohio. REUTERS/Bryan Woolston