A female US journalist has been kidnapped in Baghdad and ‌authorities are searching the city for her, according to police officials.

The ‌Iraqi interior ministry confirmed the abduction of a female journalist but did not disclose her citizenship.

The ministry said one suspect was arrested and efforts were ongoing to free the journalist.

Police officials, who ‌declined to ‌be named, ⁠later identified the victim as Shelly Kittleson.

Middle ​East news site Al-Monitor said Kittleson is a US freelance journalist based in Rome who has covered several wars in the region and contributed articles to the outlet.

Assistant secretary of state for global public affairs Dylan Johnson confirmed the US Department of State was aware of the reported kidnapping of an American journalist, but did not name Kittleson.

“The State Department previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them and we will continue to coordinate with the FBI to ensure their release as quickly as possible,” he posted on X.

The U.S. Department of State is aware of the reported kidnapping of an American journalist in Baghdad, Iraq.

The State Department previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them and we will continue to coordinate with the FBI to ensure their…

— Dylan Johnson (@ASDylanJohnson) March 31, 2026

The police officials said the journalist was seized by four men in civilian clothes and taken ​in ​a vehicle.

The search is ​focused on the eastern part ‌of the capital where the kidnappers’ vehicle was headed, they added.

An Israeli-Russian graduate student from Princeton University was kidnapped by an Iran-aligned Shi’ite militia during a research trip to Iraq in March ​2023 and was released in 2025.