Kenneth Bae, a former University of Oregon student, will return home today after being held in North Korea for over two years, according to The Associated Press.

Bae and Matthew Miller, a California native who is returning as well, are the last of the Americans being held in North Korea after the release of Jeffrey Fowle a month ago.

Bae was serving a fifteen-year sentence for alleged anti-government activities. He was detained since 2012 and was sentenced in April of 2013 after North Korean claimed he was involved in a Christian plot to overthrow the regime. While in North Korea, Bae was operating a Chinese-based company specializing in tours of North Korea.

Bobby Lee, friend and former UO classmate of Bae, expressed his shock and excitement.

“The nightmare is over,” Lee told the Emerald on his way to Seattle airport to meet Bae.

Lee, a policy advisor for Governor John Kitzhaber, is an active member of Free Kenneth Now, a website and online community that has been advocating and raising awareness for Bae since his imprisonment.

The negotiations around the return of the two men were organized when James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, visited North Korea as President Obama’s envoy. President Obama wrote a letter to Kim Jung Un saying Clapper would be acting to arrange the release of the prisoners.

After a successful release of the two prisoners and sending them home to be with their families, President Obama spoke saying he was “very grateful” North Korea had released the prisoners and “it is a wonderful day” for Bae, Miller and their families.