The US government was last night scrambling to solve the curious case of Rand Hultz, an unknown American citizen who was apparently released this weekend by Shia militia after nine months of captivity in Iraq.
Appearing to be in good health and wearing a US military uniform, the man addressed a hastily convened press conference in Baghdad where he said he had been snatched by militants loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr, a radical cleric.
He has never been reported missing, however, and even his name remained unconfirmed last night. He did not identify himself when addressing the cameras and Sadrist politicians who appeared alongside him said he was Randy Michaels. Unusually, the US embassy in Baghdad refused to identify him yesterday.
Mr Hultz gave few details of his capture or his incarceration during remarks that caught US officials by surprise. “I was taken inside Baghdad and kept in and around different locations within the city,” he said.
The kidnappers, he said, were from a branch of the now disbanded al-Mahdi Army. The Promised Day Brigade continued to target US troops after a ceasefire by al-Sadr’s main militant wing.
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Politicians from the Sadrist party said there had been no negotiations for Mr Hultz’s release. They repeatedly described him as an American soldier, but the Pentagon said none of its servicemen was missing or reported kidnapped.
“It was explained to me that [my release] is a gift to me, my family and to the American people,” Mr Hultz said. “Without a doubt I and my family thank Saeed Moqtada al-Sadr.” None of his family has emerged as yet although The New York Times has spoken to his ex-wife, Kendra Hultz. She said that she and their children had had little contact with him since he moved to Iraq. “He just disappeared,” she said.
Mr Hultz said he had been deployed to Iraq in 2003 as part of the US military invasion. After 15 months of service, he said he began to work in Baghdad in a civilian capacity.
In a 2008 radio programme about Western workers in Iraq, Mr Hultz was described as a “high-end fixer for US and Arab-Gulf investors”. At the time he said he was working for five investment companies in various capacities. Part of his job involved carrying large sums of money around Baghdad in a shoulder bag. “Unarmed with two people in an assault vehicle, in downtown Baghdad — I’ve done that on several occasions – [with] a half million dollars,” he said.
None of the companies he was associated with reported Mr Hultz missing in June 2011 and US officials made no effort to locate him. On Saturday night, he was unexpectedly handed to United Nations officials, who transferred him to the US embassy.