# Elizabeth Tsurkov released from captivity in Iraq and placed in U.S. custody
*Event date: 2025-09-09*
Elizabeth Tsurkov, the Israeli-Russian Princeton University graduate student kidnapped in Iraq in 2023, has been released from captivity and is now in U.S. custody, according to President Donald Trump and her family. CNBC reported that the development was announced on Tuesday after years of uncertainty over her whereabouts and condition.
The release marks the end of a long captivity that began during a research trip to Iraq. The source identifies the kidnappers as a Shiite militia and says the case had become a prolonged diplomatic and humanitarian issue. Beyond that, the evidence in this packet does not set out the terms of her release or the role of any intermediaries.
The fact that Tsurkov is now in U.S. custody matters because it suggests the release was handled through channels involving American authorities, but the source does not explain the legal or logistical path that brought her out. It also does not confirm where in Iraq she had been held, how long she had been moved between locations, or whether any concessions were made to secure her freedom.
What is clear is that the case had remained unresolved since her abduction in 2023. The kidnapping of an academic on research travel quickly took on larger significance because Tsurkov was both a graduate student at a major American university and a dual national whose case drew international attention. Her family’s confirmation and the president’s statement made the release a matter of public record.
The reporting does not identify the militia by name in the excerpt, nor does it describe the conditions of her captivity. It simply says she had been held by a Shiite militia and was now free. That leaves many important questions open, including whether any accountability measures will follow and what long-term support she may need after her release.
The timing also matters. Tsurkov’s case had been one of the more visible examples of the risks facing researchers and foreign nationals in parts of the Middle East where armed groups retain power outside the state. Her release is therefore likely to be read not only as a personal rescue but also as a diplomatic outcome in a region where hostage cases often move slowly and quietly.
Still, the strongest verified fact is the simplest one: after more than two years in captivity, she is no longer being held by the militia and is now in U.S. custody. For her family, that announcement ends an agonizing period of uncertainty. For officials and negotiators who worked on the case, it closes one chapter while leaving the mechanics of the release undisclosed.
The source evidence supports no fuller reconstruction than that. It does not confirm any public ceremony, medical update or transfer location. It does, however, establish that one of the highest-profile kidnapping cases involving an American university researcher in Iraq has reached a critical turning point, with the hostage now free.
That alone makes the release a significant diplomatic and human story, even if many operational details remain sealed or unreported.
