World

U.S. journalist kidnapped in Baghdad; suspect tied to Iran-backed militia arrested

Published on

March 31, 2026

Credit: Instagram

American journalist Shelly Kittleson has been kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq, according to the U.S. State Department and media reports. Iraqi authorities said one suspect tied to an Iran-backed militia has been arrested.

The kidnapping happened Tuesday evening, when Kittleson was abducted by unidentified men in the Iraqi capital, according to Iraq’s Interior Ministry and footage shared by Al Arabiya. The video shows Kittleson standing on a sidewalk near a busy intersection when a sedan stops beside her and two men force her into the vehicle within seconds.

“The State Department previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them and we will continue to coordinate with the FBI to ensure their release as quickly as possible,” Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, said in a statement.

Johnson said an individual with ties to Kataib Hizballah, an Iranian-aligned militia group in Iraq, is believed to have been involved in the kidnapping and has been taken into custody by Iraqi authorities.

Iraq’s Interior Ministry said security forces launched an immediate operation, tracked the kidnappers’ movements and intercepted one of their vehicles, which overturned as the suspects tried to flee. The ministry confirmed one suspect was arrested and one of the vehicles used in the kidnapping was seized.

The ministry said efforts were continuing to track down the remaining perpetrators and secure Kittleson’s release.

Kittleson is an award-winning journalist who has reported from the Middle East and Afghanistan for Al-Monitor, Foreign Policy, the BBC World Service, New Lines Magazine, Politico and other outlets, according to her public biography.

“We are deeply alarmed by the kidnapping of Al-Monitor contributor Shelly Kittleson in Iraq on Tuesday. We call for her safe and immediate release,” the outlet said in a statement. “We stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift return to continue her important work.”