U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the Iraqi militia group "Kataib Hezbollah" has released Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton University student and sister of an American citizen.

Trump added that "Elizabeth Tsurkov is now safely at the American embassy in Iraq after being tortured for several months."

So, who is Elizabeth Tsurkov?

Elizabeth Tsurkov, who holds both Russian and Israeli citizenship, was a doctoral student at Princeton University. She arrived in Baghdad in December 2022 to conduct research on Middle Eastern issues and disappeared in late March 2023 while leaving a café in the Karrada district. No group claimed responsibility for her disappearance.

Surveillance footage from the café showed the young woman leaving with a man believed to be her kidnapper, reportedly a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi group.

Israel accused the Iraqi faction "Kataib Hezbollah" of being behind the abduction, an allegation the group firmly denied.

Her sister, Emma, confirmed in April 2024 that Elizabeth was being held by Hezbollah and emphasized that she was still inside Iraq.

Elizabeth’s last post on X (formerly Twitter) dates back to March 21, 2023, where she shared an article she had written for the New Lines Institute.