Crime & Public Safety
Kevin Rideout released after Niger kidnapping, group says
American missionary Kevin Rideout has been released after more than nine months in captivity following his kidnapping in Niger, the Christian organisation SIM International said Friday.
SIM International said Rideout, who worked with the group, was “in good health in the care of US officials” and would soon be reunited with his family.
The group said Rideout was kidnapped from outside his home in the Nigerien capital Niamey last October.
The New York Times reported that Rideout was believed at one point to have been held in neighbouring Mali by the Sahel branch of the Islamic State group. The newspaper, citing an unidentified US official, reported that it was unclear which group held him at the end of his captivity because he may have been moved.
SIM International describes itself as an evangelical mission agency working with churches around the world and says it has teams in more than 70 countries.
The New York Times reported that Rideout is 50, had worked as a missionary in Niger for 19 years and was a pilot for SIM International.
Update
SIM International said Rideout had been released after more than nine months in captivity.
SIM International said Rideout was kidnapped from outside his home in Niamey last October.
The New York Times reported that Rideout was believed at one point to have been held in Mali by the Sahel branch of the Islamic State group.
The New York Times reported that Rideout is 50, had worked as a missionary in Niger for 19 years and was a pilot for SIM International.
Source note: AFP news report published on 14 August 2026 at 08:52:43 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
It was unclear which group held Rideout at the end of his captivity, according to the New York Times report cited in the supplied material.
No comment from the US State Department was included in the supplied information.
Source
AFP news report published on .