Race on to find US journalist Shelly Kittleson kidnapped in Iraq

Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, April 1, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists urges Iraqi authorities to take all necessary measures to secure the release of U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped in the capital Baghdad on Tuesday.

“The abduction of Shelly Kittleson in broad daylight reflects an alarming breach of journalists’ safety in Iraq that highlights the increased risk of reporting from the Middle East,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “Iraqi authorities must act swiftly to secure her safe release and hold those responsible to account, while ensuring the dark era of journalist kidnappings and assassinations does not return to Iraq. Such incidents risk creating a climate of fear that undermines the press and journalists’ ability to work safely.”

CCTV footage showed a car pull up as Kittleson was waiting by the roadside in central Baghdad’s Saadoun Street, and two men bundle her into the back. Iraqi authorities said they chased and intercepted one of the vehicles, which crashed, and arrested one suspect, according to news reports.

“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,” Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, posted on X.

Three Iraqis with knowledge of the case told CPJ, on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisals, that the detained individual, who was driving the vehicle, was a member of the 45th Brigade of the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). 

Kata’ib Hezbollah is part of the PMF, an umbrella group that operates under the Iraqi government but maintains strong ties with Iran. It is widely regarded as one of the most powerful militias in Iraq and part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq coalition that has carried out numerous attacks on U.S. targets in recent months, including on its Baghdad embassy during the ongoing U.S.-Iran war. The U.S. has, in turn, targeted PMF positions with airstrikes.

Kittleson, who lives in Italy, is an experienced freelancer who has worked in several conflict zones, such as Afghanistan and Syria, including for the Italian news agency ANSA and Al-Monitor, a U.S.-based publication focused on Middle East affairs. Kittleson’s most recent article, published Tuesday in the Italian newspaper Il Foglio, was about drone and missile strikes in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Al-Monitor called “for her safe and immediate release.” A person at the outlet, who declined to be named, told CPJ that Kittleson was not on assignment for them in Baghdad.

A journalist friend of Kittleson’s told CPJ that she had been living alone in a modest hotel in the Saadoun area and they met about an hour before her kidnapping on March 31.

“We were sitting together when the U.S. embassy called her and warned her of real threats from Iraqi militias toward her,” the friend said. “She was aware of the situation, but as far as I know, she had not received any direct threats from militias.”

Iraq accounts for 10% of the 90 journalists missing globally. Prior to Kittleson’s abduction, two foreign and seven Iraqi journalists were missing in the country, all of whom were confirmed or suspected of being kidnapped. 

Worldwide, the last U.S. journalist to be abducted was Steven Sotloff, who was abducted in Syria in 2013 and killed in 2014. 

CPJ’s calls and text messages to request an update from Interior Ministry spokesperson Col. Abbas al-Bahadli received no response.