Trump says Princeton student released by Kataib Hezbollah after months of torture

Published September 9, 2025 6:10pm ET



President Donald Trump said a Princeton student held captive by the Iraqi militant group Kataib Hezbollah was released after “months of torture.”

Elizabeth Tsurkov, 38, a Russian Israeli researcher, was conducting research in Baghdad when she was abducted at a cafe on March 21, 2023. After months of no updates on her whereabouts, Trump announced in a Tuesday post on Truth Social that she had been released after 903 days in captivity.

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