US and Iraqi officials have stated that kidnapped journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped in Baghdad, had previously been warned of threats against her. She was initially turned back from attempting to cross from Syria into Iraq three weeks prior, according to an Iraqi official. Hussein Alawi, an adviser to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said that she was turned back due to lack of a press work permit and security concerns due to the escalation of the war on Iran. She later entered the country after obtaining a single-entry visa to Iraq valid for 60 days. US officials have alleged that Kittlesons was taken by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-linked Iraqi militia implicated in previous kidnappings. One suspect has been arrested and is being interrogated.