US embassy in Baghdad confirms receiving kidnapped US citizen

US Embassy in Baghdad announced that it received the freed US citizen, Randy Michael Holtz, from the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq prior to transfer him out of Iraq. In a statement issued on Sunday, the US embassy said that Holtz was handed to the embassy and was offered all the required consular services, including medical examination and debriefing, pointing out that he is a regular citizen and not an employee in the US government and was in Iraq on private work. According to the statement, the embassy went on requesting all Americans who are not working in the US government to submit information about themselves on the Embassy's website, and to follow instruction issued by the Embassy regarding traveling to Iraq. It is worth mentioning that the Sadrist on Sunday handed Holtz, who was abducted on June 18 last year, to the UN, saying that he was working in the US Army during the invasion of Iraq and was at the rank of sergeant.