NIAIMEY — Kevin Rideout, an American missionary kidnapped in the Niger Republic, has been released after spending nine months in captivity, the organization he worked for said on Friday.“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.“Kevin is in good health in the care of US officials,” the statement said, adding Rideout will soon be reunited with his family.Rideout was kidnapped from outside of his home in the capital, Niamey, on October 21, 2025, according to SIM, a Charlotte-based Christian missionary organization which says it serves in more than 70 countries.He was seized by three armed men, who later headed toward the western Tillaberi region of Niger, Reuters news agency reported at the time, citing an unnamed diplomat.After his abduction, the US Embassy in Niamey issued a security alert, warning that American citizens were at heightened risk of kidnapping throughout Niger and upped its security requirements for embassy personnel.According to the New York Times, which first reported news of his release, Rideout was in FBI custody and in good health based on proof of life images, citing an unnamed US official.It was not clear how or when he was released, or which group was holding him at the end of his captivity, the Times reported, adding he may have recently moved.Niger has faced a surge in attacks from militant groups linked to al Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State, particularly in the tri-border region with Mali and Burkina Faso, and along its southern border with Nigeria.In May, the US and Nigerian forces killed senior ISIS commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki.
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