US missionary seized in Niger in 2025 was freed after 10 months
What's new: Kevin Rideout is in US custody and headed home, though officials have not explained where or how he was released.
American missionary pilot Kevin Rideout, who was abducted in Niger's capital, Niamey, in October, has been freed and is in U.S. hands, according to a New York Times report citing two U.S. officials. Rideout is traveling back to the United States and was believed to be in good health based on proof-of-life images given to American officials within the past 48 hours. He was taken by three unidentified men while heading to the airport. The kidnappers were reported to have moved toward Niger's Tillaberi region, where militants tied to Islamic State and al Qaeda operate. Earlier reporting indicated U.S. officials believed he was being held in neighboring Mali by Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, but details of his release remain unclear.