US Missionary Released After 9 Months Captive in Niger

Kevin Rideout, an American missionary pilot held captive in Niger for more than nine months, has been released and is in U.S. custody, his organization confirmed on Friday. The 50-year-old, who was kidnapped outside his home in the capital, Niamey, on October 21, 2025, is reported to be in good health and is expected to be reunited with his family soon.

Rideout was seized by three armed individuals and likely driven out of the city, according to information from a security official at the time of the abduction. His release was announced by SIM International, the Charlotte-based Christian missionary organization he 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," SIM International Director Phil Bauman said in a statement. The organization confirmed Rideout is in the care of U.S. officials.

The circumstances of his release remain unclear. U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the details of how and where Rideout was freed were not immediately known. It is also uncertain which group held him at the end of his captivity, as he may have been moved recently....