An American journalist has been kidnapped in Baghdad by a suspected Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, the US said, as regional security deteriorates after the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
The state department said it was working to ensure the American’s release “as soon as possible”.
“An individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hezballah believed to be involved in the kidnapping has been taken into custody by Iraqi authorities,” Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, wrote on X.
Iraq said that authorities intercepted a vehicle that overturned as they tried to flee.
“Security forces were able to arrest one of the suspects and seize one of the vehicles used in the crime,” the Iraqi interior ministry said in a statement.
“The Ministry affirms that efforts are ongoing to track down the remaining individuals involved, secure the release of the kidnapped journalist,” it added.
An Iraqi security source told Agence France-Presse the abduction occurred in Baghdad. Iraqi authorities did not identify the perpetrator or the victim.
The journalist was identified as Shelly Kittleson, a freelancer, by media advocacy groups as well as Al-Monitor, one of the news outlets for which she worked.
Kittleson is a longtime freelancer in the region, reporting extensively from Syria and Iraq.
Al-Monitor in a statement said it was “deeply alarmed” by Kittleson’s kidnapping and called for her “safe and immediate release”.
“We stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift return to continue her important work,” the news organisation said.
Kittleson is a “legitimate journalist” with experience in the Middle East and is based in Rome, according to the International Women’s Media Foundation.
Police officials in Iraq said Kittleson was seized by four men in civilian clothes and taken in a vehicle.
The search is focused on the eastern part of the capital where the kidnappers’ vehicle was headed, they added.
Baghdad was previously notorious for kidnappings and attempted abductions, but they decreased as the security situation in the country improved in recent years.
Israeli-Russian academic Elizabeth Tsurkov was kidnapped in Baghdad in 2023. She was held for two years until her release last year.
The US has warned Americans of rising risks in Iraq, where Iran has sway over several Shia armed groups, after the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.
Johnson said that the state department had “fulfilled our duty” to warn the journalist about threats and reiterated a warning for Americans to leave Iraq.
“The state department strongly advise all Americans, including members of the press, to adhere to all travel advisories,” he said.
With Agence France-Presse and Reuters
