3 Americans abducted in Baghdad are free, Iraqi officials say

Three Americans who were abducted in Baghdad last month have been freed Tuesday, Iraqi officials told The Associated Press.

The three officials, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the press, said Tuesday that the Americans were freed by the Iraqi intelligence service.

They say the three are in good health and have been handed over to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

The embassy could not immediately be reached for comment.

The embassy confirmed in January that several Americans had disappeared. Iraqi authorities said the three were kidnapped from a "suspicious apartment" without elaborating.

Iraqi and Western officials said they suspected one of two powerful Shiite militias was behind the kidnapping.

"We are aware of reports that American citizens are missing in Iraq," State Department spokesperson John Kirby had told Fox News in January. "The safety and security of American citizens overseas is our highest priority.‎ We are working with the full cooperation of the Iraqi authorities to locate and recover the individuals. Due to privacy considerations, I have nothing further."

An Iraqi police colonel had told AFP on condition of anonymity that three Americans and an Iraqi translator were kidnapped in southern Baghdad by militiamen wearing military uniforms.

"We don't know what their work is," the colonel said of the Americans.

A spokesman for Baghdad's Joint Operations Command had told The Washington Post that the three citizens were Iraqis who had acquired U.S. citizenship.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.