Tags: Kenneth Bae

Two Americans freed from secretive North Korea stepped off a plane into the welcoming arms of family on Saturday after the surprise involvement of the top-ranking U.S. intelligence official who traveled to Pyongyang to bring them home.

North Korea has freed Jeffrey Fowle, one of three Americans detained by the country, and he is being flown home to his family in Ohio, the White House said on Tuesday.

One of three Americans held in North Korea on charges of crimes against the state said he was anxiously awaiting his trial and appealed for U.S. government help to secure their freedom, a news report said on Thursday.