State Department: North Korea confirms detention of an American - CNN

(Top Stories - Google News)

By Chelsea J. Carter, CNN

updated 3:01 PM EST, Fri November 22, 2013

(CNN) -- North Korea has confirmed to Swedish diplomats that it is holding a U.S. citizen, the U.S. State Department said Friday.

"We are working in close coordination with representatives of the Embassy of Sweden to resolve this issue and they also have requested on a daily basis consular access," spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki told reporters.

The State Department has declined to confirm the identity of the citizen, citing privacy issues.

But the family of 85-year-old Merrill Newman of Palo Alto, California, has said he has been held by North Korean authorities since October 26.

Original source: Top Stories - Google News