Washington: An American journalist has been kidnapped in Iraq, with the country’s interior ministry saying a suspect had been arrested while the others – along with the victim – were still missing.
Al-Monitor, an independent media service covering the Middle East, identified the abducted journalist as one of its contributors, Shelly Kittleson.
Her identity was also confirmed by Alex Plitsas, a contributing security analyst at CNN and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, who said he was Kittleson’s designated US point-of-contact.
“We are deeply alarmed by the kidnapping of Al-Monitor contributor Shelly Kittleson in Iraq on Tuesday,” Al-Monitor said in a statement.
“We call 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.”
Kittleson was abducted in Baghdad on Tuesday (Iraq time). Plitsas said on X that he believed his friend may have been taken hostage by Kata’ib Hezbollah – an Iranian-backed Shiite militia operating in Iraq, which the US has designated as a terrorist organisation.
The New York Times also reported the arrested suspect was member of Kata’ib Hezbollah and that authorities there were working under the assumption that the group was behind the abduction, citing Iraqi security officials.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment, though CBS News reported the department had confirmed it was monitoring developments.
In a statement on its Facebook page, translated using Google, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said a foreign journalist had been “abducted by unknown assailants”.
Security forces located the kidnappers’ vehicle, which overturned as they attempted to flee, the ministry said. It said officers apprehended and arrested one suspect, and seized the vehicle, while efforts to locate the victim and remaining kidnappers were ongoing.
“The Ministry of Interior reiterates its firm stance that it will not tolerate any attempt to destabilise security or target foreign guests; its security agencies will remain vigilant and resolute in pursuing those who flout the law and bringing them to justice.”
According to the Women’s Media Centre, Kittleson is a freelance journalist focusing on the Middle East and Afghanistan, whose work has been published across US, Italian and other international outlets.
Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political reporter in Canberra.Connect via X or email.
