Video shows moment when journalist is kidnapped in Iraq

Video shows moment when journalist is kidnapped in Iraq Video shows moment when American journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped on a street in Baghdad, Iraq, this Tuesday (30). In it, you can see her being taken away by a silver car, according to Iranian authorities. She remains missing and Iraqi authorities believe she is being held captive in Baghdad. A suspect has been arrested and is being questioned. According to American and Iraqi authorities, she had been warned about threats against her in the days before the crime (see below). ✅ Follow g1’s international news channel on WhatsApp American journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a cell phone photo at a cafe in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 25, 2025. Associated Press Freelance journalist worked for years in Iraq and Syria, and is described by those who knew her as deeply knowledgeable about the region and the communities she covered. Iraqi authorities believe she is being held captive in Baghdad Iraqi security forces pursued her kidnappers and arrested a suspect after the car he was driving was involved in an accident, but the other kidnappers managed to escape with the journalist in a second car. An Iraqi intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment, told the Associated Press news agency that Iraqi authorities believe she is being held captive in Baghdad and are trying to locate her and secure her release. He said authorities “have information about the kidnapper” but declined to give further details. American authorities alleged that Kittleson was kidnapped by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia linked to Iran and involved in previous kidnappings of foreigners. The group did not claim the kidnapping and the Iraqi government did not publicly comment on the kidnappers’ affiliation. She was warned about the threat days before the kidnapping Hussein Alawi, an advisor to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said Kittleson tried to enter the country via the al-Qaim border crossing from Syria on March 9 but was blocked, according to the Associated Press. This was because she did not have a press clearance and because of security concerns due to “the escalation of war and aerial projectiles over Iraqi airspace as a result of the war against Iran.” She later entered the country after obtaining a single-entry Iraq visa valid for 60 days issued to allow foreign nationals stranded in neighboring countries “to transit through Iraq to reach their home countries via available transport routes”, he said. Kittleson entered Baghdad a few days before she was kidnapped and was staying at a hotel in the capital, he said. The Iraqi intelligence official said that prior to Kittleson’s abduction, Iraqis contacted U.S. officials to inform them of a specific kidnapping threat against her by Iranian-linked militias. Dylan Johnson, U.S. assistant secretary of state for public affairs, said Tuesday that “the State Department previously fulfilled its duty to alert this individual to the threats against him.” An American official, who also spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said, “She was contacted several times with warnings about the threats against her,” including the night before the kidnapping. “The incident is being closely monitored by Iraqi security and intelligence agencies under the supervision of” al-Sudani, Alawi said. ‘I’m going to pray for her,’ says journalist’s mother Kittleson’s mother, Barb Kittleson, 72, who spoke to The Associated Press at her home in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, said she learned of the kidnapping from a news report on Tuesday and was visited by the FBI at her home on Tuesday night. When asked how she felt about the kidnapping, she said: “Terrible. Scared. I’ll pray for her.” Barb Kittleson said she last exchanged emails with her daughter on Monday. Shelly Kittleson sent photos of herself from Iraq, her mother said. “Journalism was what she wanted to do most,” Barb Kittleson said. “I wanted her to go home and give up, but she said, ‘I’m helping people.’” See more: Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner suffers heart attack in prison and receives inadequate care, says family Trump government calls for investigation into euthanasia of 25-year-old and criticizes Spain for ‘failures in human rights’, says newspaper

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