ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – United States officials previously informed journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped in Baghdad on Tuesday, of threats to her safety, a senior State Department official said, blaming Kataib Hezbollah for the abduction. 

Kittleson was kidnapped in central Baghdad on Tuesday evening, with Iraqi authorities saying they are pursuing the suspects involved in the act. 

“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, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, said on X. 

A suspect affiliated with Iraq’s powerful pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah armed group, “believed to be involved in the kidnapping,” was arrested by Iraqi authorities, Johnson said.

During the abduction, a vehicle overturned in Babil province, leading to the suspects fleeing with Kittleson, who reportedly has sustained injuries. A was left behind and arrested by Iraqi authorities. 

Kittleson, an independent journalist who has reported extensively from Iraq and across the Middle East, was in the country to cover the effects of the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran. 

Previously a staff editor at The New Region, she has featured in several international outlets, including Al Monitor, Foreign Policy, and The National. Her reporting has also included frontline coverage against the Islamic State (ISIS).

Kittleson has also reported on pro-Iran militias in Iraq.

Iraq remains a difficult environment for journalists. Reporters, particularly freelancers, face risks including harassment, detention, and abduction. 

Kidnappings of journalists, activists, and dual nationals have occurred periodically in Iraq, often linked to militia activity.

In September, Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov was released over two years after she was kidnapped by Iraq’s pro-Iran faction Kataib Hezbollah. Her release was publicly welcomed by US President Donald Trump.