American journalist Shelly Kittleson abducted in Baghdad

American journalist Shelly Kittleson was abducted in central Baghdad on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. The incident occurred when armed individuals stopped her car in broad daylight, forcibly removed her, and fled the scene. While the Iraqi Interior Ministry initially confirmed only that a foreign national had been kidnapped by unknown assailants, the U.S. State Department and other sources identified the victim as Kittleson. Iraqi security forces managed to detain one suspect and seize a vehicle following a chase. U.S. officials stated that the arrested individual has links to Kata'ib Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian militia. Reports indicate that the U.S. government had previously warned Kittleson about specific threats from the organization against female journalists, advising her against traveling to Iraq. Although some sources suggested the warning might have been based on unreliable information, her name reportedly appeared on a list held by the militia. Efforts to locate the journalist and continue the investigation are currently underway.