One person has been arrested while a search operation for others is underway after the kidnapping of an American journalist in Baghdad, Iran, on Tuesday evening.
Confirming the news, Iraq’s interior ministry said that one suspect has been held, and efforts are underway to track down the remaining perpetrators and secure the journalist’s release. The journalist has been identified as Shelly Kittleson.
Exact Moment When Gunmen Abducted Kittleson:
مشاهد خاصة للعربية للحظة اختطاف صحفية أميركية في بغداد
قناة العربية pic.twitter.com/ENP48yLRWq
— العربية عاجل (@AlArabiya_Brk) March 31, 2026
Video footage shared by Al Arabiya has emerged on social media, showing the exact moment when the Kittleson was abducted. The footage showed the woman standing on the road when some men came in a car near the Baghdad
hotel on al-Saadoun street and forced Kittleson inside the car before fleeing from the scene.
“The pursuit resulted in the interception of a vehicle belonging to the kidnappers, which overturned as they attempted to flee,” the ministry said, confirming that a suspect was arrested.
Kittleson, an independent journalist who has reported extensively from Iraq and across the Middle East, was in the country to cover the effects of the ongoing US-Israel war against Iran. She has featured in several international publications, including Al Monitor, Foreign Policy, and The National, a report by The New Region said.
As the tension in Iraq continues to rise, the war-ridden country remains a difficult place for journalists who often face the fear of harassment, detention, and abduction.
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