A drone picture shows a suburb following the attack on the international airport in Niamey, Niger January 30, 2026.
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Kevin Rideout, an American missionary who was held captive in Niger for nine months has been released to US officials, the missionary organization he worked for said 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 told CNN 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 a Charlotte-based Christian missionary organization which says it serves in more than 70 countries
He was seized by three unidentified men, who later headed toward the western Tillaberi region of Niger, where Islamist militants are active, Reuters news agency reported at the time, citing an unnamed diplomat
The day after the kidnapping, the US Embassy in Niger warned of a “heightened concern about the threat of kidnapping” 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
The FBI declined to comment when contacted by CNN
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
CNN has reached out to the White House, the State Department and the Pentagon for comment
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