Afghanistan, April 1 -- American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson has been kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraqi authorities said, in a case that has raised fresh concerns over journalist safety and militia-linked abductions in Iraq.
International media reported that Kittleson was abducted Tuesday outside a hotel in central Baghdad. Iraqi police and Interior Ministry officials said security forces launched an immediate search operation, while checkpoints across the capital and nearby areas were alerted in an effort to track the kidnappers.
US officials said one suspect has already been detained, and American authorities believe the individual has ties to Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned Iraqi militia. The US State Department said it was close...