Man not known to be missing freed in Iraq BAGHDAD, March 18 (UPI) -- An Iraqi militant group has freed an American contractor who was held for nine months, though no one appeared to know the man had been missing, officials said. A Shiite group loyal to rebel cleric Moqtada Sadr announced the release Saturday in a pre-taped news conference, saying the group was releasing the captive as a goodwill gesture to the United States, CNN reported. The man, identified as Randy Michaels Hultz by a U.S. official who knew him, was kidnapped June 18, 2011, while working in Baghdad as a construction contractor, the BBC said. Hultz had previously served in the Army and was initially deployed to Iraq in 2003. The U.S. Defense Department said it had no knowledge of any active duty personnel missing and Hultz's former wife, Kendra Hultz, said she had no idea he had been missing, CNN said. Adding to the mystery, the U.S. Embassy in Iraq declined to identify the man or discuss the alleged abduction. "We cannot disclose any further information at this moment regarding this case because of privacy practices," embassy spokesman Michael McClellan said.