
Emma Tsurkov and Elizabeth Tsurkov (L) in Santa Clara Valley, Calif., in September 2018. Eric Tucker/AP Photo
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.