An 85-year-old man from Palo Alto, Calif. has been detained in North Korea for more than three weeks.

North Korean authorities reportedly removed the grandfather, who has been identified as Merrill Newman, off his plane when he was about to leave the country after a visit with a Beijing-based tour business, reports Gawker.

In regard to Newman's detention, a State Department official told the San Jose Mercury News that, "We are aware of reports that a U.S. citizen was detained in North Korea. There is no greater priority for us than the welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad. We have no additional information to share at this time."

The official added that the Swedish Embassy in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, "acts as our protecting power for issues involving U.S. citizens in North Korea. We are in regular, close coordination with representatives of the Embassy of Sweden."

The State Department also issued an updated travel advisory for North Korea on Tuesday detering all U.S. citizens from travelling to the country, although the advisory makes no mention of Newman.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki refused to draw a direct link from new advisory to any specific detention during her daily press briefing Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Instead, she cited the Privacy Act of 1974 and refused to provide details surrounding Newman's detention.

"Obviously, we've seen the reports. As you know, the protection of citizens overseas is one of our top priorities," she said. "I just don't have any more details on the specific reports and this specific case. ... And obviously, as you know, we're in close touch with our Swiss protecting powers about any incidents that are reported or otherwise."