Trump Says Kidnapped Princeton Scholar Freed, Now Safe at US Embassy in Baghdad

President Donald Trump said on Sept. 9 that Princeton graduate student Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was kidnapped in Iraq in 2023, has been freed by the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah terrorist group and transferred to U.S. custody.

Tsurkov, a dual citizen of Israel and Russia, was kidnapped in March 2023 while carrying out research in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. Kataib Hezbollah has never claimed responsibility for her abduction.

Trump announced on Truth Social that Tsurkov has been released by the Iran-backed group and is now safe at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad “after being tortured for many months.”

“I will always fight for JUSTICE, and never give up,” the president said, calling on the Hamas terrorist group to release the remaining Israeli hostages taken during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack that prompted Israel to launch a military offensive targeting Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani also confirmed Tsurkov’s release and transfer to U.S. custody in Iraq, noting that the U.S. Embassy will help reunite Tsurkov with her sister, Emma Tsurkov, who holds U.S. citizenship.

Al-Sudani said Iraqi security agencies located Tsurkov on Sept. 9 following extensive security and intelligence efforts conducted in close coordination with several internal entities.

The Iraqi leader stopped short of identifying the captors in his statement. Al-Sudani pledged that Iraqi authorities would continue to pursue the perpetrators and “hold them accountable in accordance with the law.”

Emma Tsurkov, who had been advocating for her sister’s release, celebrated the news and thanked Trump and his special envoy for hostage response, Adam Boehler, for securing Tsurkov’s release.

“My entire family is incredibly happy,” Emma Tsurkov said on social media. “We cannot wait to see Elizabeth and give her all the love we have been waiting to share for 903 days.

“We also want to thank [U.S. Mission to Iraq Chargé d’Affaires] Josh Harris and his team at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for the support they provided to our sister and the team at the nonprofit Global Reach who advocated relentlessly for my sister’s safe return.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he spoke with Tsurkov’s family following her release. Netanyahu also credited Brig. Gen. Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for hostage affairs, for his effort in the matter.

Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber also issued a statement expressing relief and joy over the scholar’s release.

Details on Tsurkov’s health condition were not immediately available.

The Israeli government had accused Kataib Hezbollah of being behind Tsurkov’s disappearance in 2023. The Iran-backed group was listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government in 2009. Its key leader, Ahmad al-Hamidawi, was named a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” in February 2020.