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

American missionary pilot Kevin Rideout, kidnapped in Niger in October, has been released and is in US hands, per The New York Times. He is en route to the US and in good health. Details of his release remain unclear.

Kevin Rideout, an American missionary pilot kidnapped in Niger's capital Niamey in October last year, has been released and is in US hands, according to a New York Times report late on Thursday, citing two US officials. Rideout is on his way to the United States and is in good health, based on proof-of-life images provided to American officials in the past 48 hours. The US State Department and the White House did not respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours. Reuters had reported in October that Rideout, a pilot for the evangelical missionary agency Serving in Mission, was seized by three unidentified men as he headed to the airport. The kidnappers headed toward the western Tillaberi region, where Islamist terrorists linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda are active. Niger, like its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso, has been battling jihadist insurgencies for over a decade. The US issued a travel warning to Niger days after the kidnapping. Reuters later reported in March that the US was pushing to resume intelligence gathering in Mali, partly to find Rideout, who was believed to be held by al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM. Details of how and where Rideout was released remain unclear, and it is unknown which group held him at the end of his captivity.