Story highlights Iraqi official said a criminal gang probably abducted the 3 contractors

Gunmen grabbed the men Friday in Baghdad's Dora neighborhood

(CNN) Three American contractors missing in Iraq were kidnapped, the Iraqi defense minister said Thursday.

An organized crime gang is believed to be behind the abductions, Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi told reporters in Baghdad.

The contractors were visiting a house in Dora, a district in southern Baghdad, when gunmen abducted them, he said.

He didn't know if the gang was Shiite of Sunni but said the criminals were known for previous incidents of kidnapping and blackmailing.

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