Kevin Rideout, an American missionary who was kidnapped in Niger final October, has been launched and can be reunited along with his prolonged household, his group stated in an announcement on Friday.
Rideout “is in good well being within the care of US officers,” Serving In Mission (SIM) Worldwide, an evangelical mission company, stated within the assertion.
Kevin Rideout is seen throughout preflight checks in preparation for a flight from Niamy to Maradi, Niger in December 2022.
Lee Hodges
“We’re grateful to substantiate that our good pal and brother in Christ, Kevin Rideout, has been launched after over 9 months in captivity,” SIM Worldwide stated in an announcement Friday.
“Krista and the remainder of Kevin’s household are profoundly grateful for the prayers provided on their behalf by folks all over the world all through his captivity, and specifically for the deep stage of prayer and help provided by our SIM household,” SIM Worldwide stated.
Rideout was kidnapped exterior his dwelling in Niamey, Niger, on Oct. 21, 2025.
A motorcyclist rides alongside a road in Niamey, Niger, June 18, 2026.
AP Photograph
President Donald Trump celebrated Rideout’s return in a social media publish on Friday.
“I’m proud to announce that Kevin Rideout, a beautiful Christian Missionary, is again in United States Custody,” Trump stated.
Trump went on to criticize the “Jihadi terrorists” who captured Rideout in Niger. The president claimed that West Africa is “[t]he epicenter of Islamist terrorism.”
“Kevin, the USA of America appears ahead to welcoming you HOME. Glad to have helped!,” Trump stated.
No armed group claimed accountability for the kidnapping.
A day after he was kidnapped, the U.S. Embassy in Niamey issued a safety alert warning that Americans “stay at a heightened danger of kidnapping all through Niger, together with within the capital metropolis.”
