BAGHDAD — American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped Tuesday evening in the heart of Baghdad, seized near the Baghdad Hotel on Saadoun Street by abductors linked to an Iran-backed militia that had reportedly placed her name on a targeting list. Iraqi security forces launched an immediate pursuit, overturning one of the kidnappers’ vehicles during the chase, though Kittleson was not found inside. One suspect with ties to Kataib Hezbollah was taken into custody.
The abduction has drawn a swift and high-level response from Washington. Dylan Johnson, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, confirmed the kidnapping and disclosed that the detained individual had connections to Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy force that has repeatedly targeted American citizens. The State Department, FBI, National Security Council, Delta Force, and Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service are all in contact and working to secure her release as quickly as possible.
‘We are aware of the kidnapping and are working with the Iraqi government,’ the State Department said, adding that it had previously fulfilled its duty to warn Kittleson of the specific threat against her. US officials had contacted her multiple times in recent weeks, urging her to leave Iraq, including as recently as Monday night — less than 24 hours before she was taken.
Kittleson, who is based in Rome, Italy, is a seasoned conflict reporter whose work has appeared in US, international, and Italian outlets, including as a contributor to Al-Monitor, a Washington-based publication focused on the Middle East. Her career has taken her across some of the world’s most dangerous territories, including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Al-Monitor confirmed the kidnapping and called for her safe and immediate release.
The threat against Kittleson was specific and documented. US officials had warned her that Kataib Hezbollah was plotting to kidnap or kill female journalists operating in Iraq, and that her name appeared on a list in the militia’s possession. Despite those warnings, she remained in the country. Alex Plitsas, a national security analyst and Kittleson’s designated emergency contact, has been notified of the situation.
Iraq’s Ministry of Interior confirmed the abduction, describing the operation to locate Kittleson as based on ‘precise intelligence’ gathered through ‘intensive field operations.’ Security forces intercepted one of the vehicles used by the kidnappers — it flipped during the pursuit — and seized the car, though the journalist was not aboard. The ministry said efforts to track the remaining perpetrators and free Kittleson are continuing.
The kidnapping marks a stark deterioration in the security environment for foreign nationals in Iraq. The US Embassy in Baghdad has issued repeated warnings to American citizens since a fresh escalation with Iran began in late February, explicitly cautioning that Iranian-backed militias could attempt to abduct Americans. Its most recent advisory, issued over the weekend, was unambiguous: ‘Do not travel to Iraq for any reason. Depart immediately if you are there.’
Kataib Hezbollah has long been one of the most aggressive Iranian proxy forces operating in Iraq, with a history of attacks on US military personnel and interests across the region. The group’s alleged involvement in a journalist kidnapping underscores the expanding scope of its operations and the risks facing foreign reporters working in the country.
Baghdad was once synonymous with kidnapping during the sectarian violence of the mid-2000s, when abductions of foreigners and Iraqis alike were commonplace. Security conditions improved significantly in subsequent years, making Tuesday’s abduction a jarring reminder of the city’s volatile undercurrents — particularly as regional tensions tied to Iran’s network of proxy forces continue to simmer.
The State Department said it will continue coordinating with the FBI to press for Kittleson’s release. Iraqi authorities, meanwhile, have pledged to pursue all remaining suspects. The full circumstances of how Kittleson came to be in Baghdad despite the repeated warnings, and where she is being held, remain unclear.
