Iraq has sentenced a man to 15 years in prison for kidnapping Shelly Kittelson, an American journalist, in late March.
Kittelson was kidnapped on March 31, released in early April, and targeted by Iranian-backed militias.
She posted on X/Twitter that “Iraq’s Central Criminal Court has sentenced Amir Rahim Jabar Lazim to 15 years in prison under the Anti-terrorism Law after convicting him of being one of several armed men who took me hostage in Baghdad on March 31.”
She added, “I am grateful to the Iraqi judiciary for its attention to my case, as well as to all those who helped get me out alive. And, of course, to those who love Iraq as much as I do and try to build a better future for it. Thank you from the very depths of my being.”
Rudaw Media in Iraq added that “an Iraqi court has sentenced a key suspect to 15 years in prison under the country’s Anti-terrorism Law in connection with the abduction of American journalist Shelly Kittleson in Baghdad earlier this year, a case the US linked to the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah armed group.”
Rare prosecution of Iranian-backed militia member
The development is important because Iraq rarely prosecutes members of the Iranian-backed militias. In the past, members of the militias have sometimes been detained by authorities, but are often released. There is now pressure in Iraq for the government to rein in the militias. The US has encouraged Baghdad to make progress toward disarming the groups.
The militias have been involved in acts of kidnapping and murder for years. In 2020, Dr. Hisham al-Hashimi was assassinated by gunmen outside his home in the Zayouna neighborhood of Baghdad. He was a journalist and security expert.
Kataib Hezbollah was also behind the kidnapping of Princeton researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov in March 2023. She was released in September 2025.
According to Rudaw, “The Central Criminal Court in Baghdad on Sunday sentenced ‘the convict – Amir Rahim Jabbar Lazem – to 15 years in prison’ pursuant to Iraq’s Anti-terrorism Law ‘for the crime of kidnapping the complainant – Shelly Renee Kittleson of American nationality – on March 31, 2026, in the al-Saadoun area’ in the Iraqi capital, read a copy of the ruling obtained by Rudaw.”
Jabbar Lazem has been detained since April for the kidnapping, and according to a video shown at the time, other men were involved in it. An eyewitness at the scene told Rudaw that “three people surrounded her [Kittleson] and one of them grabbed her from behind.”
Kataib Hezbollah suspected to be behind kidnapping
Kataib Hezbollah, believed to have been behind the kidnapping, is one of the most powerful of the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. The US has sanctioned it as a terrorist organization, and it is part of the paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces.
Its former leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was killed in a US drone strike in January 2020. He was driving in a vehicle alongside IRGC Quds Force head Qasem Soleimani, who was the target of the strike – and who was also killed. The fact that Muhandis and Soleimani were in the same vehicle illustrates the close ties between the IRGC and Iranian-backed militias.
It does not appear Iraq will hold Kataib Hezbollah responsible for the kidnapping or other crimes. Kataib Hezbollah was also likely behind a drone attack that killed three American service members in Jordan in January 2024. It has also been behind attacks on Saudi Arabia.