Moment journalist is kidnapped by armed men off the streets of Baghdad

This is the shocking moment an award-winning American journalist is grabbed on the streets of Baghdad and kidnapped.

The search is on for American journalist Shelly Kittleson was last seen being confronted by armed men before being bundled into a car on Tuesday evening.

During a chase, one of the vehicles used in the kidnap flipped over and was crushed.

One suspected kidnapper was arrested but Ms Kittleson, who has worked for the BBC World Service, has not yet been found.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry has confirmed that a ‘foreign journalist was kidnapped by unknown individuals’ in the country’s capital.

But insists ‘efforts are ongoing to track down others involved and free the abducted person’ amid fears they are a pro-Iranian militia.

Shelly Kittleson is known for her on-the-ground reporting of war zones in Syria and Afghanistan, but has been based in Iraq recently.

She has filed reports on women’s rights in Iraq and the rise of militias and how the country was affected by the Iran war.

Trump administration sources confirmed to Al-Monitor that they were aware of the threat against her and had advised against travel to Iraq.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a US official said the State Department is aware of Kittleson’s kidnapping and working with the Iraqi government to secure her release.

Kittleson’s kidnapping is similar to the plight of Russian Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was snatched from a Baghdad cafe in March 2023.

She was held hostage by the pro-Iranian militia, Kataib Hezbollah, for 903 days before she was freed under a deal brokered by the United States. 

Kittleson’s current employer Al Monitor said in a statement: ‘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. 

‘We stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift return to continue her important work.’