American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in Baghdad, leading to a police pursuit and one arrest. U.S. officials confirmed she had been repeatedly warned of threats, with a suspect linked to an Iranian-aligned militia now in custody.
American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was abducted in Baghdad on Tuesday, prompting an immediate pursuit by Iraqi security forces. The incident involved two vehicles; one crashed during a chase near Al-Haswa in Babil province, southwest of Baghdad, after Kittleson was transferred to a second car that escaped. Iraqi authorities have since arrested one suspect and seized one vehicle, though other captors remain at large. The kidnapping occurred on central Baghdad’s Saadoun Street. Al-Monitor, a regional news site to which Kittleson contributed, identified her and issued a plea for her safe and immediate release, emphasizing her extensive reporting from the Middle East. The U.S. State Department is actively monitoring the situation, and Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Dylan Johnson revealed that the State Department had previously warned Kittleson of potential threats against her. Another U.S. official, speaking anonymously, added that she had received multiple warnings, including one on Monday night, urging her to leave Iraq due to imminent danger. Johnson also stated that an individual with alleged ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hezbollah, believed to be involved in the abduction, has been apprehended by Iraqi authorities. While Iraqi officials have not publicly confirmed the affiliation of the kidnappers, the event takes place against a backdrop of heightened tensions, with Iran-backed militias in Iraq having conducted regular attacks on U.S. facilities since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran commenced. The U.S. Embassy had previously issued warnings about kidnapping risks and advised American citizens in Iraq to depart. This incident draws parallels to the 2023 disappearance of Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton graduate student, who was later freed in 2025 and identified Kataib Hezbollah as her captors.
