American Christian missionary kidnapped in Niger back in US hands, on his way home - report

American Christian missionary pilot Kevin Rideout, who was kidnapped in Niger's capital Niamey in October last year, has been released and is now in US custody, according to a report by The New York Times. The news outlet reported the details on Thursday, citing two unnamed US officials. Rideout is currently en route to the United States, and he is reportedly in good health, as evidenced by proof-of-life images shared with American authorities in the last 48 hours.

The US State Department and the White House have not commented on the report outside regular business hours.

The kidnapping took place when Rideout, a pilot for the evangelical missionary agency Serving in Mission, was heading to the airport. According to The New York Times, the three unidentified kidnappers took him towards the western Tillaberi region of Niger, an area known for Islamist terrorist activity linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda. Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, has been grappling with jihadist insurgencies for over a decade.

In response to the kidnapping, the US issued a travel warning to Niger days later, advising its citizens against traveling to the country due to concerns over crime, unrest, terrorism, health, and kidnapping. Later, Reuters reported in March that the US was actively pursuing attempts to resume intelligence gathering in neighboring Mali, partly driven by the desire to locate Rideout, who was believed to be held by the local al-Qaeda affiliate, Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) at that time.

However, the specifics regarding how and where Rideout was released remain unclear, as well as the group that held him during his captivity. It is possible that Rideout may have been moved recently, as The New York Times noted.