North Korea has released Otto Warmbier, a U.S. citizen previously serving a 15-year sentence in the country, the State Department announced on Tuesday.

The statement, citing comments by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, said that Warmbier, 22, was en route back to the U.S. to be reunited with his family.

According to the statement, Tillerson said that the U.S. Department of State was able to secure the release of Warmbier “at the direction of the President.”

The Washington Post reported that Warmbier has been in a coma since his last public appearance last year and had been medically evacuated.