An American citizen claiming to be a spy when he was detained in North Korea has been deported to the United States after a month of captivity, an official said.

Speaking on a condition of anonymity, a U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press that Bruce Byron Lowrance was deported and on a flight back to the U.S. Friday (Nov 16,2018). He would not provide any other details about his release.

The man was reportedly detained on Oct. 16 in 2018 for allegedly entering into North Korea illegally through China. Korean Central News Agency reported that he told investigators that he was under the “manipulation” of the U.S. spy agency.