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American journalist Shelly Kittleson has been freed after militants from the Iranian-backed Kata’ib Hezbollah kidnapped her in Iraq one week ago.
Two Iraqi government sources and a source familiar with the situation told CBS News on Tuesday that Kittleson had been released. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later confirmed her release, saying in a statement, “We are relieved that this American is now free and are working to support her safe departure from Iraq.”
Kata’ib Hezbollah had Kittleson’s name on a list of American journalists to target for kidnapping, multiple sources said. She was abducted in Baghdad last Tuesday, March 31.
A spokesperson for the Kata’ib Hezbollah militia said earlier in a post on the group’s Telegram messaging app channel that Kittleson was being released on the condition that she leave Iraq immediately.
Her exact whereabouts were not immediately clear.
Two militia officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that in exchange for Kittleson’s release, Iraqi authorities would free several detained members of Kata’ib Hezbollah.
Earlier, the group released an undated video of Kittleson in which she speaks directly to the camera. It is unclear where the video was taken. It runs about two and a half minutes long and she is seen wearing a pink sweater and green blazer.
Rubio in his statement thanked the FBI, Department of Defense, “U.S. personnel across multiple agencies, and the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council and our Iraqi partners, for their assistance in securing her release.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that the agency was “thrilled to welcome American journalist Shelly Kittleson’s release today.”
“Our Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell was relentless in this effort working with our outstanding State Department, Department of War, and other partners across the federal government,” Patel said, using the Trump administration’s preferred term for the Defense Department. “This was a team effort in every way reflecting President Trump’s commitment to leaving no American behind.”
Alex Plitsas, Kittleson’s designated point of contact in the U.S. and a CNN national security analyst, previously told CBS News the U.S. government had warned Kittleson about a specific threat against her by Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed paramilitary group that was allegedly looking to kidnap or kill female journalists.
Kittleson was contacted multiple times with warnings of threats against her, including as recently as the night before she was abducted, a U.S. official had told CBS News.
Journalist Kiran Nazish, the founder and director of the Coalition for Women in Journalism, told CBS News last week that Kittleson was traveling to Iraq to stay with a family there who had reassured Kittleson that she shouldn’t worry and that they “would keep her safe.” Kittleson told Nazish in a text message that she had been advised not to travel, but “she was doing what she had always done,” Nazish told CBS News.
Nazish said Kittleson traveled to Iraq and Syria several times before and had “experience reporting on the ground in difficult circumstances.” Kittleson lives in Rome and has spent time in Istanbul.
