North Korea has released security video footage of the crime it claims was committed by an American student who has been sentenced to 15 years hard labour.
The CCTV footage allegedly shows 21-year-old Otto Warmbier removing a propaganda banner from Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang, where he was staying over the New Year.
During the grainy video an unidentifiable figure can be seen walking down a dim hallway, before taking down a red sign from the wall and placing it on the floor.
The banner in the hotel apparently read: "Let's arm ourselves strongly with Kim Jong-il patriotism", referring to the isolated state’s late leader, who died in 2011.
Warmbier was arrested in January after attempting to leave the country.
He later made a televised "confession" and said that he had taken the sign as a "trophy" of his time in the country.
The student, who had visited the isolated state as a tourist, was punished after being convicted under an article of the criminal code dealing with subversion.
North Korea has previously used the detention of US citizens to obtain high-profile visits from former US presidents.
Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have both made trips to the state in order to secure the release of American detainees.