Kim Jong Un personally ordered the release of American citizen Jeffrey Fowle following repeated requests for amnesty from U.S. President Barack Obama, North Korean state media claimed on Wednesday.

While details behind Fowle’s surprise release were not immediately available in the report, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that the decision was made by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un himself.

“Kim Jong Un…took such a special measure as setting free Jeffrey Edward Fowle, U.S. criminal, taking into consideration the repeated requests of U.S. President Obama,” the KCNA report published Wednesday evening Korean time said.

“The criminal was handed