A search is underway for an American journalist identified as Shelly Kittleson after she was kidnapped in Baghdad on Tuesday, police officials said.
Officials said Kittleson was captured by four plainclothes men and taken away in a vehicle. The search is focused on the eastern part of the Iraqi capital, where the hijackers’ vehicle was headed, Reuters reported, citing officials.
Who is Shelly Kittleson?
The Middle East news website Al-Monitor reported that Kittleson is an American freelance journalist based in Rome who has covered numerous conflicts in the region and contributed articles to the publication.
According to her social media bio, Kittleson is an award-winning journalist who reports from the Middle East and Afghanistan. In addition to Al-Monitor – she worked for publications such as Foreign Policy, Politico, BBC World Service.
Shelly Kittleson social media profile
Al-Monitor said it was “deeply concerned” by Kittleson’s kidnapping, the AP reported, citing the statement.
“We call for her safe and immediate release,” the statement said. “We stand by her vital messages from the region and urge her speedy return to continue her important work.”
How was Shelly kidnapped?
Two Iraqi security officials – who spoke on condition of anonymity – said the journalist was abducted from Saadoun Street in central Baghdad. They added that an alert had been sent to all checkpoints, leading to a pursuit of the hijackers as they headed southwest of Baghdad towards Babil province.
According to officials, two vehicles were used in the hijacking. One of them crashed during the chase and was detained by security forces near the city of Al-Haswa in Babil province. The journalist was then transferred to a second vehicle that managed to escape, AFP reported.
One suspect arrested
The Iraqi Ministry of Interior confirmed the abduction of the journalist, but did not disclose her nationality. It said security forces had launched an operation to track down the kidnappers, “acting on accurate intelligence and through intensive field operations” after intercepting a vehicle belonging to the kidnappers that overturned as they tried to flee.
The ministry said one suspect had been arrested and efforts were ongoing to free the journalist.
Kataib Hezbollah behind the kidnapping?
Several unverified videos on social media claimed to show the moment an American journalist was kidnapped by members of Kataib Hezbollah in central Baghdad.
The Turkiye Today report also mentioned that the journalist was kidnapped by Kataib Hezbollah.
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton graduate student with Israeli and Russian citizenship who disappeared in Baghdad in 2023, said she was held by the Kataib Hezbollah group — after being handed over to US authorities in September 2025, the AP reported.
The US State Department issued a statement
The US State Department said in a statement: “The Trump administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of the American people” and that it is “monitoring these reports”.
“Due to privacy and other considerations, we have nothing further to share at this time,” the statement read.
