{"id":44376,"date":"2026-08-14T13:09:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T08:09:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44376"},"modified":"2026-08-14T13:09:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T08:09:32","slug":"american-missionary-kidnapped-in-niger-said-to-be-released-nyt-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=44376","title":{"rendered":"American missionary kidnapped in Niger said to be released, NYT reports"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<p>Kevin Rideout, an American missionary pilot who was kidnapped in Niger\u2019s capital Niamey in October last year, has been released and is \u200bin US hands, the New York Times reported late on Thursday, \u200cciting two US officials.<\/p>\n<p>Rideout is on his way to the United States, the Times said, adding that he was in good health based on proof-of-life images that \u200bwere provided to American officials in the past 48 hours.<\/p>\n<p>The US \u200bState Department and the White House did not respond to \u2060requests for comment on the report outside regular business hours.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"40336199\"><br \/>\n\t<default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><default:path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/default:svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<img style=\"aspect-ratio:1.77777778;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"40336199\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?w=720\" alt=\"Kevin Rideout, a smiling man with a beard and a pilot's uniform, holds a young girl with a pixelated face in front of an airplane.\" class=\"wp-image-40336199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 720w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=300,169&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=600,338&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 600w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=576,324&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 576w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=440,248&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 440w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=424,239&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 424w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=180,101&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 180w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=107,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 107w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=130,73&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 130w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=71,40&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 71w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=124,70&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 124w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=96,54&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 96w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=200,113&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=231,130&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=322,181&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=664,374&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 664w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=142,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 142w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=87,49&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 87w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=234,132&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 234w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/Kevin-Rideout.jpg?resize=50,28&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\"\/><figcaption>American missionary pilot Kevin Rideout has been released after being kidnapped in Niger last October and is safely in US hands. <span class=\"credit\">X\/@RepMarkHarrisNC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Reuters had \u200breported in October that the missionary, who is a pilot for the evangelical \u200bmissionary agency Serving in Mission, was\u00a0seized by three unidentified men\u00a0as he headed to the airport, citing an unnamed diplomat, but did not identify Rideout by name at \u200bthe time.<\/p>\n<p>The kidnappers then headed toward the western Tillaberi region of \u200bNiger, where Islamist militants linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda are active.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Niger, like its \u200cneighbors \u2060Mali and Burkina Faso, has been battling jihadist insurgencies for over a decade.<\/p>\n<p>The US issued a\u00a0travel warning\u00a0to Niger days after the kidnapping, warning its citizens against traveling to Niger, citing crime, unrest, terrorism, health and \u200bkidnapping.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"40336213\"><br \/>\n\t<default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><default:path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/default:svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<img style=\"aspect-ratio:1.49926794;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"40336213\" width=\"885\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"An arial view of the Niger capital Niamey.\" class=\"wp-image-40336213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 3600w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=300,200&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=768,512&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=1024,683&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=1536,1024&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1536w, 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https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=171,114&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 171w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=160,107&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 160w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=144,96&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 144w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=107,71&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 107w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=93,62&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 93w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=84,56&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 84w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=60,40&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 60w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=105,70&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 105w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=81,54&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 81w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=200,133&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=231,154&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=322,215&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=662,441&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 662w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=90,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 90w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=120,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 120w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=1200,800&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=1038,692&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1038w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=87,58&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 87w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1231251026.jpg?resize=50,33&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 885px) 100vw, 885px\"\/><figcaption>An aerial view of the Niger capital Niamey.  <span class=\"credit\">AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Reuters had later \u200breported in March \u2060that the US was\u00a0pushing to resume intelligence\u00a0gathering in neighboring Mali, partly driven by a desire to find \u200bthe kidnapped missionary, who at the time was believed \u200bto be \u2060held in Mali by the local al Qaeda affiliate, Jama\u2019at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).<\/p>\n<p>According to the New York Times, details of how and where Rideout was \u2060released remained \u200bunclear. <\/p>\n<p>It was also unclear which group \u200bwas holding Rideout at the end of his captivity, as he may have been moved \u200brecently, the Times added.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kevin Rideout, an American missionary pilot who was kidnapped in Niger\u2019s capital Niamey in October last year, has been released and is \u200bin US hands, the New York Times reported late on Thursday, \u200cciting two US officials. Rideout is on his way to the United States, the Times said, adding that he was in good&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/newspress-collage-iwsf2ngy1-1786692715031.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1786678347&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44376\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}