Princeton Researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov Freed After Two Years in Militia Captivity, Trump Confirms

Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian researcher at Princeton University abducted in Iraq in March 2023, has been released after more than two years in captivity.

Tsurkov was held by Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-aligned Shi’ite militia group. Trump said on Truth Social that she endured months of mistreatment but is now “safe at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani also confirmed her release in a statement, pledging that Baghdad would not tolerate armed groups undermining state authority or tarnishing Iraq’s reputation.

A senior U.S. official said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally thanked Trump for helping secure Tsurkov’s freedom. Her release came just days after Trump signed an executive order enabling Washington to designate states as sponsors of wrongful detentions and impose sanctions on entities involved in holding U.S. citizens or residents abroad.

The nonprofit Global Reach, which advocates for Americans held overseas, confirmed that Tsurkov underwent a medical evaluation at the embassy following her release.

Her sister, Emma Tsurkov, expressed gratitude to the Trump administration, saying the family had been waiting “903 days to embrace Elizabeth and shower her with the love she deserves.”

During President Joe Biden’s administration, U.S. officials had said that because Tsurkov was not an American citizen, Washington’s ability to intervene was limited. According to sources, a Trump administration hostage negotiator traveled to Iraq earlier this year to press for her release.