Overview

• Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and President Trump confirmed her release and said she is at the American Embassy in Baghdad.
• Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian Princeton doctoral researcher, was abducted in March 2023 in Baghdad by the Iran-backed militia Kata’ib Hezbollah, according to officials and prior reporting.
• Iraq said its security services worked for months on the case, while officials have not disclosed how the release was secured.
• Her sister thanked President Trump, Special Envoy Adam Boehler, embassy chief Josh Harris, and the nonprofit Global Reach, which said she received a medical assessment at the embassy.
• The only public proof of life during captivity was a video aired in November 2023 on Iraqi television, and The Hill reported she is a U.S. permanent resident.