American missionary kidnapped in Niger released, in US custody

Aug 14 (Reuters) – Kevin Rideout, an American missionary pilot who was kidnapped in Niger’s capital Niamey in October last year, has been released and is in U.S. custody, according to the Christian organization Rideout worked for.

“We are grateful to confirm that our good friend and brother in Christ, Kevin Rideout, has been released after over nine months in captivity,” the Serving In Mission organization said in a statement on Friday.

“Kevin is in good health in the care of U.S. officials,” SIM added.

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Rideout’s release in a social media post on Friday.

“I am proud to announce that Kevin Rideout, a wonderful Christian Missionary, is back in United States Custody,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Kevin, the United States of America looks forward to welcoming you HOME. Glad to have helped!”

The New York Times, which first reported the news on Thursday, said Rideout was in good health, based on proof-of-life images that were provided to American officials in the past 48 hours, citing one U.S. official.

The U.S. State Department did not respond to a request for comment on the report outside regular business hours.

In his post, Trump said Rideout was kidnapped by “Jihadi terrorists.”

Reuters had reported in October that the missionary, who is a pilot for the evangelical missionary agency SIM, was seized by three unidentified men as he headed to the airport, citing an unnamed diplomat, but did not identify Rideout by name at the time.

The kidnappers then headed toward the western Tillaberi region of Niger, where Islamist militants linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda are active.

Niger, like its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, has been battling jihadist insurgencies for over a decade.

The U.S. issued a travel warning about Niger days after the kidnapping, warning its citizens against traveling to Niger, citing crime, unrest, terrorism, health and kidnapping.

Reuters later reported in March that the U.S. was pushing to resume intelligence gathering in neighboring Mali, partly driven by a desire to find the kidnapped missionary, who at the time was believed to be held in Mali by the local al Qaeda affiliate, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

According to the New York Times, details of how and where Rideout was released remained unclear. It was also unclear which group was holding Rideout at the end of his captivity, as he may have been moved recently, the Times added.

(Reporting by Preetika Parashuraman in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Ryan Jones, Editing by Lincoln Feast)