American Missionary Kevin Rideout Released After Nine Months in Captivity in Niger

Kevin Rideout, an American missionary pilot who was kidnapped in Niger’s capital nine months ago, has been released and is in the care of U.S. officials, the evangelical missionary organization he worked for confirmed Friday. “We are grateful to confirm that our good friend and brother in Christ, Kevin Rideout, has been released after over nine months in captivity,” SIM International said in a statement. “Krista and the rest of Kevin’s family are profoundly grateful for the prayers offered on their behalf by people around the world throughout his captivity.” A U.S. official told CNN that Rideout is in FBI custody, is doing very well, and is traveling to the United States accompanied by federal agents. The New York Times first reported his release. It remained unclear Friday how or exactly when he was freed, or which group was holding him at the end of his captivity.

Rideout, a pilot for SIM International — an evangelical mission agency — was abducted on the night of October 21, 2025, outside his home in Niamey, Niger’s capital, by three armed men who forced him into a vehicle and drove away. The kidnapping occurred in the city’s heavily secured Plateau district, roughly 100 yards from the presidential palace where ousted President Mohamed Bazoum has been held since a July 2023 military coup. The day after the abduction, the U.S. Embassy in Niger warned of a “heightened concern about the threat of kidnapping” and increased security requirements for all Embassy personnel. The FBI declined to comment when contacted by multiple outlets Friday.

In the immediate aftermath of the kidnapping, the abductors were believed to have traveled toward Niger’s western Tillaberi region, where armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State operate. Reuters reported in March that Rideout was believed to be held in neighboring Mali by al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, known as JNIM. His location may have changed in the months since, according to the Times. In May, U.S. and Nigerian forces killed senior ISIS commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki in the region, part of a broader counterterrorism effort across the tri-border area where Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso converge — a zone that has become one of the most active theaters for Islamist militant activity in Africa.

President Trump celebrated Rideout’s return in a social media post Friday. His release adds to a string of American hostage returns the administration has touted, though officials did not immediately detail what negotiations or payments, if any, were involved in securing his freedom.

Niger has faced a surge in attacks and kidnappings by militant groups since a July 2023 coup that removed President Bazoum and installed a military junta under General Abdourahamane Tchiani, who has since expelled French and American forces and deepened ties with Russia. The country sits at the heart of the Sahel’s security crisis, which has seen armed groups linked to both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State expand their reach across the region’s porous borders even as Western military presence has sharply contracted. Kidnappings targeting foreigners have intensified in recent years: an Austrian woman was abducted in Niger in January 2026, and a Swiss citizen was taken in April.

Rideout had lived and worked in Niger since 2010, according to SIM International, which operates evangelical mission programs across Africa and Asia. He is expected to be reunited with his family in the coming days.

Originally published on HNGN