American Missionary Pilot Kevin Rideout Freed After Nine Months in Captivity in Niger

Kevin Rideout, a 48-year-old American missionary pilot with SIM International, was released on August 14, 2026, after over nine months in captivity. Abducted in Niamey, Niger, on October 21, 2025, he is now in US official care and headed home in good health. How his release was secured — and by which captors — remains undisclosed.