An American missionary pilot who was kidnapped in Niger’s capital, Niamey, last October has been released and is in US custody, according to a New York Times report.
Kevin Rideout is reportedly on his way to the United States and is in good health, based on proof-of-life images provided to American officials within the past 48 hours.
The US State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Rideout, who works as a pilot for evangelical missionary agency Serving in Mission, was reportedly seized by three unidentified men while travelling to the airport in Niamey in October 2025.
The kidnappers were said to have travelled towards Niger’s western Tillabéri region, where Islamist militants linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda are active.
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Niger, along with neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, has been battling jihadist insurgencies for more than a decade.
The United States issued a travel warning against Niger shortly after the kidnapping, citing risks including crime, unrest, terrorism, health threats and kidnapping.
In March, it was reported that Washington was seeking to resume intelligence-gathering operations in neighbouring Mali, partly to help locate the kidnapped missionary. At the time, Rideout was believed to be held in Mali by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an al-Qaeda affiliate.
Details of how and where Rideout was released remain unclear. It is also unknown which group was holding him at the time of his release.
