American Missionary Kevin Rideout Released After Nine Months in Captivity in Niger

Kevin Rideout, a 50-year-old US missionary and pilot with SIM International, was released after nine months in captivity in Niger and is now in FBI custody. He was seized in Niamey on October 21 and taken to the Tillaberi region, where JNIM, an al-Qaeda affiliate, operates. The case tested US hostage-recovery capacity in Niger after its 2023 coup expelled French forces and drew down the US military presence at Agadez.