American slain in Baghdad identified, questions remain

BAGHDAD — An American citizen who was fatally shot in central Baghdad was identified as 45-year-old Stephen Edward Troell, the U.S. Embassy based in the capital said Tuesday.

Troell, a native of Tennessee, was killed by unknown assailants in his car as he pulled up to the street where he lived with his family in Baghdad's central Karrada district. It was a rare killing of a foreigner in Iraq, where security conditions have improved in recent years, even opening the door for tourism.

The embassy said it was closely monitoring an investigation begun by Iraqi authorities, but declined to comment further out of respect for his mourning family, the embassy statement said.

A State Department official said Troell was a private citizen with no connection to the government. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to go on the record.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, less than two weeks in office, ordered an investigation in the hours after Troell was killed. Troell's body had already arrived at Baghdad's Sheikh Zayed hospital.

The circumstances surrounding Troell's death are shrouded in mystery. No group has claimed responsibility for the killing. Security officials dismissed the possibility it was a kidnapping gone wrong.

“This was a cowardly crime against an American citizen and resident of our country who is known amongst the community,” al-Sudani said at a news conference Tuesday.

“Its timing brings up question marks,” he said, referring to widespread speculation the attack may have been perpetrated by rival groups intending on undermine his premiership. “This is a red line for us. Those who want to test our government in terms of security will fail.”

Security officials said as Troell drove through his street toward his home in Karrada's Wahda area on Monday, a car cut him off and assailants in another vehicle then shot him dead. The officials also said his wife was in the car with him but had not been hurt. Her whereabouts and that of their children are not known.

Troell worked for Global English Institute, a language school in Baghdad's Harthiya neighborhood, which operated under the auspices of Texasbased non-governmental organization Millennium Relief and Development Services