American missionary kidnapped in Niger said to be released, NYT reports
American missionary pilot Kevin Rideout, who was abducted in Niger’s capital, Niamey, in October last year, has been released and is now in U.S. custody, according to a New York Times report citing two American officials.
The report said Rideout was on his way back to the United States and appeared to be in good health, based on proof-of-life images shared with U.S. authorities within the past 48 hours.
The U.S. State Department and White House had not responded to requests for comment at the time of the report.
Rideout, a pilot with the evangelical missionary organisation Serving in Mission, was reportedly abducted by three unidentified men while travelling to the airport in October 2025. The kidnappers were believed to have taken him toward Niger’s western Tillaberi region, an area where Islamist militant groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State are active.
Niger, along with neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, has faced persistent jihadist violence for more than a decade.
Following the abduction, the U.S. issued a travel advisory urging Americans not to travel to Niger because of risks including terrorism, kidnapping, crime and civil unrest.
In March, Reuters reported that Washington was seeking to resume intelligence-gathering operations in neighbouring Mali, partly to help locate Rideout. At the time, he was believed to be held in Mali by JNIM, an al Qaeda-linked militant group.
The circumstances surrounding Rideout’s release, including where and how he was freed, remain unclear. It is also not known which group held him during the final stage of his captivity, with reports suggesting he may have been moved recently.
Source: Reuters
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