Suspected Iranian-backed militants kidnapped an American journalist in Iraq on Tuesday, according to the State Department and the Iraqi Interior Ministry.
The journalist was identified in the hours after her kidnapping came to light as freelancer Shelly Kittleson. Al-Monitor, one of the publications she works for, called for her "safe and immediate release."
Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of state for global affairs, said on X that the State Department was "aware of the reported kidnapping of an American journalist in Baghdad, Iraq."
He said the State Department had "previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them" and would "continue to coordinate with the FBI to ensure their release as quickly as possible."
FBI agents visited Kittleson's family Wednesday, according to a U.S. official.
Barb Kittleson, Shelly’s mother, told NBC affiliate WTMJ of Milwaukee that her daughter has been living in the Middle East and working as a journalist for about 20 years. She said she last heard from her daughter Monday.
Johnson said a person believed to have been involved in the kidnapping had been captured and was in Iraqi custody. The person has ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hezbollah, Johnson said.
He added that Iraq remained the subject of a Level 4 Travel Advisory, with Americans advised "not to travel to Iraq for any reason and to leave Iraq now."
Iraq's Interior Ministry said in a statement that security forces pursued the kidnappers’ vehicle, which overturned as they fled.
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Surveillance video from the scene verified by NBC News appears to capture the moment Kittleson is bundled into a vehicle, before a separate video shows the car speeding down a street in Baghdad.
"Security forces were able to arrest one of the suspects and seize one of the vehicles used in the crime," the ministry said in a statement.
"The Ministry affirms that efforts are ongoing to track down the remaining individuals involved, secure the release of the kidnapped journalist, and take all necessary legal measures against all those involved in this criminal act, in accordance with the law."
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Russian-Israeli citizen, was kidnapped and held captive by Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq for more than two years before she was released in September.
When Tsurkov, a Princeton University graduate student, was released, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that she had been freed "after being tortured for many months."
Since the U.S. and Israel launched a military campaign in Iran, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has been warning that militias within Iraq may try to kidnap Americans.
In a security alert Sunday, the embassy warned that "U.S. citizens choosing to remain in Iraq are doing so at significant risk."
