SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A U.S. citizen has died in Baghdad, the State Department confirmed on Tuesday, one day after police in Iraq said an American was killed in a failed kidnapping attempt.
U.S. officials said they could confirm the individual, Stephen Troell, died in Baghdad but did not elaborate, offering condolences and adding, “We are closely monitoring local authorities’ investigation into the cause of death.”
Troell, an American citizen who also worked as an English teacher was shot dead in the Iraqi capital after gunmen in a vehicle opened fire at an SUV carrying the victim and shot him dead, according to the police’s words on Monday night.
“Our initial investigation and eyewitnesses showed that armed men were trying to kidnap the American citizen,” an Iraqi police major said.
Iraq’s state news agency (INA) said that the country’s armed forces’ commander-in-chief gave the order to form an investigative committee into the killing of the U.S. citizen.
So far, the incident’s details remained unclear.
