Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleUS Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped from a street in Baghdad (AFP via Getty Images)An American freelance journalist, Shelly Renee Kittleson, was kidnapped in Baghdad on Tuesday, sparking an urgent search by Iraqi and US officials. Kittleson had been warned multiple times by US and Iraqi officials about specific threats against her by Iran-affiliated militias in the days leading up to her disappearance. She had previously been turned back from the Syrian-Iraqi border due to a lack of a press permit and security concerns, later entering Iraq on a single-entry visa. Surveillance footage reportedly shows two men forcing her into a car; one suspect was arrested after a car crash, but others escaped with the journalist. US officials allege that Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-linked Iraqi militia, is responsible for the abduction, though the group has not claimed responsibility. In fullUS journalist kidnapped in Iraq had been warned of threats in days priorThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Iran-linked militia blamed for American journalist’s kidnapping
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleUS Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped from a street in Baghdad (AFP via Getty Images)An American freelance journalist, Shelly Renee Kittleson, was kidnapped in Baghdad on Tuesday, sparking an urgent search by Iraqi and US officials. Kittleson had been warned multiple times by US and Iraqi officials about specific threats against her by Iran-affiliated militias in the days leading up to her disappearance. She had previously been turned back from the Syrian-Iraqi border due to a lack of a press permit and security concerns, later entering Iraq on a single-entry visa. Surveillance footage reportedly shows two men forcing her into a car; one suspect was arrested after a car crash, but others escaped with the journalist. US officials allege that Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-linked Iraqi militia, is responsible for the abduction, though the group has not claimed responsibility. In fullUS journalist kidnapped in Iraq had been warned of threats in days priorThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
