Journalist kidnapped in Iraq was warned about threats

American journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a photo with a cell phone in a cafe in Baghdad, Iraq, on Monday, March 30, 2026. Associated Press The American journalist kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq, on Tuesday (30), was warned about threats against her in the days before the crime, according to American and Iraqi authorities. She remains missing. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp Shelly Kittleson is a freelance journalist who worked for years in Iraq and Syria. She is described by those who know her as deeply knowledgeable about the region and the communities she wrote about. See the videos that are trending on g1 Days before the kidnapping American journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a photo with a cell phone in a cafe in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 25, 2025. Associated Press Hussein Alawi, advisor to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said that Kittleson tried to enter the country through the al-Qaim border, coming from Syria, on March 9 but was blocked. 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 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. Iraqi authorities believe she is being held captive in Baghdad. He noted that a suspect believed to be involved in the kidnapping plot has been arrested and is being questioned. 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, said 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. ‘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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