Shelly Kittleson is pictured in an image from her X account.@shellykittleson/X
A U.S. journalist, working independently in Baghdad, was abducted on Tuesday, as stated by the Iraqi interior ministry and two officials from the State Department who are knowledgeable about the situation.
Attempts are underway to find the journalist, Shelly Kittleson, age 49, subsequent to her being seized from a vehicle, per Iraq’s interior ministry. She is a contributor to Al-Monitor, a regional media site covering the Middle East.
In a surveillance camera video verified by ABC News and confirmed by Iraq’s interior ministry to depict Kittleson’s abduction, the journalist is seen standing on a pavement as a silver car comes nearby before being forcibly moved towards the vehicle, which then rapidly drives off.
Shelly Kittleson is pictured in an image from her X account.@shellykittleson/X
One individual believed to be linked to the kidnapping has been apprehended, according to Iraq’s interior ministry.
Security personnel had been trailing the abductors, and their car crashed during a chase, resulting in the individual’s arrest, the ministry reported.
The person taken into custody has affiliations with the Iranian-aligned militia organization Kataib Hezbollah, according to Dylan Johnson, assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs for the State Department.
The State Department had cautioned the journalist concerning threats directed at her, as per Johnson.
Kittleson was contacted repeatedly with warnings of the threats, including as recently as Monday evening, according to a U.S. official. No specifics concerning the nature of the threat she was cautioned about have been disclosed.
An official from the State Department indicated that the department was in communication with Iraqi officials on this matter and is actively collaborating with them to investigate Kittleson’s vanishing.
The State Department “will continue to collaborate with the FBI to guarantee their release as swiftly as feasible,” Johnson communicated in a statement on X on Tuesday.
FBI representatives met with Kittleson’s relatives on Wednesday, according to an American official, who did not reveal particulars of the visit.
Shelly Kittleson is pictured in an image from her X account.@shellykittleson/X
Al-Monitor requested Kittleson’s “safe and prompt release.”
“We are greatly disturbed by the abduction of Al-Monitor contributor Shelly Kittleson in Iraq on Tuesday,” the publication voiced in a statement. “We support her essential reporting from the region and request her prompt return to continue her significant work.”
Originally from Wisconsin, Kittleson relocated to Italy at the age of 19, where she studied and was employed as a nanny, her mother, Barb Kittleson, informed the Associated Press. She stated her daughter resided in Italy for approximately 10 years before eventually residing in Iraq.
Barb Kittleson reported that she and her daughter exchanged emails on Monday, when her daughter sent her a couple of updated pictures of herself.
Kittleson concentrates on the Middle East and Afghanistan and is presently located in Rome, according to Al-Monitor. She has also done reporting for media outlets including Foreign Policy, Politico and BBC World Service.
The State Department advises all U.S. citizens to avoid travel to Iraq “for any purpose” and to depart without delay, Johnson conveyed.
Lena Camilletti and Shannon Kingston of ABC News contributed to this report.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com