Washington—Kevin Rideout, the American missionary pilot who
was kidnapped last fall in Niger, is in US custody and on his way home,
according to The New York Times.
Rideout, who worked as a pilot for the evangelical
organization Serving in Mission (SIM), was kidnapped on October 21, 2015, in
Niamey, the capital of Niger. Three armed men took him from his home, located
in a neighborhood considered high-security and a short distance from the
presidential palace.
The missionary had been living and working in Niger for
several years. After his disappearance, US authorities launched efforts to
locate him and secure his release. For months, there was no confirmed public
information about his whereabouts, and no group officially claimed
responsibility for the kidnapping.
Rideout's disappearance occurred against a backdrop of
escalating insecurity in the Sahel region of Africa, where armed groups linked
to jihadist organizations operate. Investigators and officials had considered
the possibility that those responsible had ties to groups affiliated with the
Islamic State in the Sahel.
His transfer to the United States represents the culmination
of an operation that was kept secret for months for security reasons. To date,
not all the details about the circumstances of his release or the individuals
who held him captive have been made public.