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Mystery as Facebook page of Aussie man 'arrested in North Korea' suddenly reappears

A social media page belonging to Australian Alek Sigley who has disappeared in North Korea mysteriously reappeared again on Saturday after his family took it down.

Mr Sigley’s Facebook page then vanished again just hours later on Saturday afternoon and was still offline on Sunday morning, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

It is unclear why Mr Sigley’s account cropped up again.

The 29-year-old’s family, who live in Perth, shut down his social media accounts and on Friday said they'd still had no word from him.

Alex Sigley, from Perth, is missing in North Korea. His Facebook account mysteriously popped up on Saturday. Source: Instagram
Alex Sigley, from Perth, is missing in North Korea. His Facebook account mysteriously reappeared again on Saturday. Source: Instagram

"There has been no change in what is known about the status of Alek," the family said in a statement.

They also hosed down speculation about his social media accounts being shut down.

The family said they shut down his social media accounts "to limit unnecessary speculation and commentary on those channels".

PM wants to ‘bring him home’

World leaders have offered their support to help find Australian tour guide Alek Sigley, missing in North Korea.

The 29-year-old, from Perth, lives in the hermit kingdom and last communicated with relatives on Tuesday before going silent on social media.

Mr Sigley's Tokyo-based wife Yuka Morinaga last spoke to him on Monday.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has spoken with Mr Sigley's family from Osaka, where he attended the G20 summit, and discussed the issue with world leaders.

Mr Sigley's wife Yuka Morinaga, who he is pictured here with in a Facebook photo, last heard from him on Monday.
Mr Sigley's wife last heard from him on Monday. Source: Facebook

"We have nothing but overwhelming support and offers of cooperation and assistance to be able to both locate where Alek is and then to take what actions we can to bring him home," Mr Morrison told reporters on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump made a historic demilitarised zone visit where he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Mr Trump stepped onto North Korean soil on Sunday – a first for any American president.

Australia does not appear to have asked its close ally to raise the issue.

"We're going to work with everybody to secure Alek's safety," Mr Morrison said when asked about Mr Trump's visit.

"The best way we can do that is doing it quietly and effectively, working with our partners and not allowing this to be taken up into other agendas."

Theories about Mr Sigley's disappearance range from him being held prisoner, to a state-ordered media blackout to stop him communicating with the outside world amid heightened political tensions.

with AAP

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