Princeton doctoral student last heard from in March kidnapped by Iran-backed militia in Iraq: Netanyahu

A dual Israeli-Russian Princeton doctoral student, who went missing in Iraq while conducting academic research, was kidnapped by an Iran-backed militia in Iraq, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Wednesday.

Elizabeth Tsurkov disappeared in late March, and is still alive, according to the prime minister’s office, who is holding Iraq responsible for her safety and well-being.

Tsurkov’s work focuses on the Middle East, specifically war-torn Syria. She is also a fellow at New Lines Institute, a Washington-based think tank, and an expert on regional affairs.

Netanyahu said she was visiting Iraq on her own, with her Russian passport, to pursue work for her doctorate and academic research on behalf of Princeton University.

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Officials with the university did not immediately respond to inquiries on the matter.

Tsurkov used the Russian passport because she would not be able to enter with her Israeli passport since Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations.

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Netanyahu said Tsurkov is being held by the Shiite militia Kataeb Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group listed as a terrorist organization in 2009 by the U.S. government.

Kataeb Hezbollah’s founder and leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, was killed in a U.S. airstrike in January 2020 near Baghdad’s international airport. A top Iranian general, Gen. Qassem Suleimani, was also killed in the airstrike ordered by then President Trump.

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New Lines Magazine editor-in-chief Hassan Hassan, who is a colleague of Tsurkov’s, told the Associated Press that on March 29, co-workers were told of her kidnapping. Tsurkov’s last tweet was sent on March 21.

He also said some of Tsurkov’s colleagues had communicated with her only days before she went missing.

“We could not believe the news, knowing what Iraq is like for any scholar or researcher in recent years,” he said. “But there is hope that she will be released through negotiations.”

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Hassan also said they called on U.S. officials to help secure her release, despite her not being a U.S. national, as well as assistance from Princeton University and foreign officials.

Iraq has not made an official comment on the matter since the scholar went missing.

An Iranian citizen reportedly involved in Tsurkov’s kidnapping was detained just days after she disappeared, according to a local website.

The site also said Tsurkov was kidnapped from Karradah, a neighborhood in Baghdad, and Iran’s embassy was pressing for the man’s release back to Iran.

Netanyahu said the situation with Tsurkov is being handled by the “relevant parties in the State of Israel out of concern for Elizabeth Tsurkov’s security and well-being.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.