UPDATE | North Korean detainee reunites with family in Ohio

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man detained for nearly half a year in North Korea returned to a very emotional homecoming today amid tears of joy and hugs from his wife and surprised children.

A plane carrying Jeffrey Fowle landed this morning at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, where he was reunited with his family.

Moments after Fowle, carrying two bags, stepped off a plane at the base just after 6:30 a.m., his three children and wife ran from a nearby airplane hangar and shared hugs.

Base Col. John Devillier said Fowle had a tearful reunion, and that Fowle was happy and seemed thrilled to be back in the U.S.

"We had a great reunion for an American citizen coming home," he said.

Devillier said Fowle's family hadn't told the children why they were being brought to the base and that it was a surprise for them to see their father walk off the plane.

"The reaction from his children was priceless," Devillier said. "They hadn't seen their dad in some time. The expectation would be that they would get teary eyed and they did, and I did too. It's great to welcome him home."

The news came about six months after he was taken into custody after leaving a Bible at a nightclub. Christian evangelism is considered a crime in North Korea.