More questions than answers in account of American's abduction in Iraq An American apparently abducted by a militia is at the U.S. Embassy, officials say The man is identified as a Rand Michael Hultz, an official tells CNN Hultz served in Iraq as a soldier and later returned as an entrepreneur, the official says Baghdad (CNN) -- The murky abduction account of an American, who nobody appeared to know was missing in Iraq until he resurfaced, is raising questions about everything from his name to the circumstances surrounding his reported kidnapping. A Shiite militia loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced Saturday in a bizarre, pre-taped news conference that it was releasing U.S. soldier Randy Michaels, who one Sadrist lawmaker said was captured in battle nine months earlier. The man did not identify himself, though he said he was a former soldier who was working as a civilian when he was abducted. But U.S. officials say all missing soldiers have been accounted for and no civilian was recently reported missing, and even the man's ex-wife said she didn't know he had been kidnapped. On Sunday, adding to the mystery, the U.S. Embassy declined to identify the American or discuss details surrounding the reported abduction. "We cannot disclose any further information at this moment regarding this case because of privacy practices," embassy spokesman Michael McClellan said. But a U.S. official who had knowledge of the man and had seen the video told CNN he was Rand Michael Hultz, a former Army soldier who served in Iraq shortly after the 2003 invasion and later returned as an "entrepreneur." The account by the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the nature of the case, is supported by interviews the man gave to an Iraqi television stations in 2010 where he identified himself as Hultz and detailed his business ventures. The abduction first came to light Saturday when reporters were hastily convened by members of Sadr's political movement outside the heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. Embassy, to detail the man's release in a pre-recorded news conference released by the militia. The man wore a U.S. military uniform and was accompanied by two members of Sadr's political party, who identified him during the news conference as Randy Michaels. The uniform, which did not feature a rank or a last name, was devoid of unit and combat patches. The man said he had been abducted in Baghdad on June 18, 2011, by "Yom al-Maoud under the direction of Sayyed Muqtada al-Sadr," also known as the Promised Day Brigade. While al-Sadr disbanded his notorious Mehdi Army in 2008, a small group of hand-picked fighters called the Promised Day Brigade continued attacks that primarily targeted American troops, the U.S. military has said. Hultz said he was held in various locations across the Iraqi capital by the Promised Day Brigade. "It was explained to me that my release has been for more of humanitarian reasons and that there was no exchange involved," the he said. Hultz also told reporters that he deployed as a soldier to Iraq in June 2003 and then "moved to a civilian capacity." During the news conference, the lawmakers produced what appeared to be the man's U.S. military identification card and U.S. contractor ID card. Maha al-Douri, a lawmaker and a member of the al-Sadr movement, said at the news conference the man had been in captivity for nine months. Al-Sadr's party was a middleman between the Promised Day Brigade and the United Nations to facilitate the release of the man, al-Douri said. The U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq simply said two lawmakers -- al Douri and Quasay al-Suhail -- handed over an American citizen, who was then transferred to the U.S. Embassy. It declined to identify the man. Bahaa al-Aaraji, the head of Sadr's Ahrar political bloc, said the man was "captured in battles" but had no further information. He called the release a goodwill gesture to the American people following the withdrawal of U.S. troops. A Pentagon official said the Defense Department is looking into the reports, but added that to the best of defense officials' knowledge, no active duty military person has been missing in Iraq. The website of the Defense Prisoner Of War and Missing Personnel Office on Saturday listed three Defense Department contractors as missing. Hultz was not among them. Hultz's ex-wife, Kendra Hultz, did not immediately return a CNN telephone call seeking comment. But she told The New York Times on Saturday that she knew he was in Iraq but had little contact with him and did not know what he was doing. "He just disappeared," she said. Another U.S. official with knowledge of Hultz, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he returned to Iraq in 2006 as a civilian contractor. The official was not authorized to speak to the media. Sometime after returning to Iraq, Hultz moved into private business. According to a 2010 interview with al-Hurra television station, Hultz described himself as the chief economic officer of Baghdad-based SAK Commodities, an investment and financing group also known as the Sanna Al Kassir General Trading Company. SAK Commodities, according to the reports, signed a number of contracts to assist the Ministry of Housing and Construction and construction firms to build houses and other buildings. As CEO, Hultz met with some of Iraq's powerful political players, including former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. Photos of the two men and details of a March 2010 meeting in Baghdad were posted online by various business news groups. The SAK Commodities website was unavailable Sunday morning, and the Baghdad telephone numbers associated with its various online press releases were either disconnected or went unanswered. Tawfeeq reported from Baghdad and Carter reported from Atlanta; Journalist Mohammed Lazem and CNN's Gregory Clary and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.