An American journalist was reportedly kidnapped by Iran-backed militant group Kataib Hezbollah in the Iraqi capital Baghdad — with terrifying surveillance footage showing armed men dragging her into the back of a car.
Tuesday’s abduction of Shelly Kittleson, 49, from Monticello, Wisconsin, was confirmed by Al-Monitor, the independent media outlet for which she had written.
“We are deeply alarmed by the kidnapping of Al-Monitor contributor Shelly Kittleson in Iraq on Tuesday. We call for her safe and immediate release,” Al-Monitor said in a statement.
US journalist Shelly Kittleson was reportedly kidnapped in Baghdad. Instagram/shellyrkittleson“We stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift return to continue her important work,” the statement concluded.
Footage from local outlets shared on X reportedly shows Kittleson — who has written extensively for BBC World, Politico, and Foreign Policy — being bundled into the back of a car by armed men after they stopped her at a busy intersection in Baghdad.
News reports say she was snatched near the Baghdad Hotel, a stone’s throw from the heavily-militarized Green Zone, and state that two vehicles were involved in her kidnapping.
While no one has claimed responsibility for the abduction, a former Pentagon official believes Kittleson, who spent years reporting from war zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, may have been taken hostage by the Iraqi Shiite paramilitary group.
“I can confirm that my friend Shelly Kittleson was abducted and may have been taken hostage in Baghdad by Kataib Hezbollah,” Alex Plitsas wrote on X, noting he was her “designated US point of contact.”
“Whereabouts and conditions unknown. If you have any information please provide to law enforcement and send me a DM.”
Authorities intercepted a vehicle believed to belong to Kittleson’s abductors that flipped over as they tried to flee, and arrested one suspected kidnapper, Iraq’s Interior Ministry said.
However, the freelance journalist was not in the vehicle, and her current whereabouts are unknown.
The second vehicle which she was traveling in was last seen heading south out of Baghdad.
Terrifying surveillance footage captured armed men apparently shoving Kittleson into the back of a car. Faytuks Network“Efforts are ongoing to track down others involved and free the abducted person,” the ministry said.
A US State Department official said on X the agency was aware of threats against Kittleson and had warned her against traveling to Iraq.
Officials are now working with Iraqi authorities to try to secure her release.
“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,” said Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs.
“An individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hizballah believed to be involved in the kidnapping has been taken into custody by Iraqi authorities.”
He said Iraq remains under a Level 4 travel advisory, with Americans warned not to travel there for any reason and urged to leave the country immediately.
Kittleson has spent years reporting from war zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Instagram/shellyrkittlesonNo further details have been released by Kittleson’s abductors, and no ransom demands have been made public.
In recent weeks, the US embassy in Iraq urged American citizens to leave the country due to the regional war.
Iraq has seen increasing violence since the start of the conflict because of the presence of both US troops and pro-Iran armed groups.
Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi Shia paramilitary group, previously kidnapped US student Elizabeth Tsurkov in Baghdad in 2023.
The Russian-Israeli citizen was finally released in 2025.
