Otto Warmbier dies as a result of brain injury

A university student flown home to the US in a coma after being held in North Korea for 17 months has today died following "tortuous mistreatment".

The family of Otto Warmbier, 22, said he died on Monday afternoon surrounded by loved ones - six days after he returned to Cincinnati.

Relatives said he died following "tortuous mistreatment" in North Korea where he was held for trying to steal an item bearing a propaganda slogan, according to North Korean media.

Reacting to Otto's death, Donald Trump branded North Korea a "brutal regime".

His family said in a statement: "It would be easy at a moment like this to focus on all that we lost - future time that won't be spent with a warm, engaging, brilliant young man whose curiosity and enthusiasm for life knew no bounds.

"But we chose to focus on the time we were given to be with this remarkable person.

"You can tell from the outpouring of emotion from the communities that he touched - Wyoming, Ohio and the University of Virginia to name just two - that the love for Otto went well beyond his immediate family.

Otto Warmbier was detained in North Korea in January 2016 (Photo: REUTERS)

Warmbier was held for trying to steal an item bearing a propaganda slogan from his Pyongyang hotel (Photo: Reuters)

"We would like to thank the wonderful professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who did everything they could for Otto.

"Unfortunately, the awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today.

"When Otto returned to Cincinnati late on June 13 he was unable to speak, unable to see and unable to react to verbal commands. He looked very uncomfortable - almost anguished

."Although we would never hear his voice again, within a day the countenance of his face changed - he was at peace. He was home and we believe he could sense that."

Last week, it was reported Otto was stable but "showed no sign of understanding language, responding to verbal commands or awareness of his surrounding," said Dr. Daniel Kanter.

People, believed to be family members, embrace next to the medical transport plane carrying Otto Warmbier (Photo: REUTERS)

The man, believed to be Otto Warmbier, was carried off the plane last night(Photo: REUTERS)

The medical director of the neuroscience intensive care unit at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center told a news conference: "He has not spoken.

"He has not engaged in any purposeful movements or behaviors."