Kevin Rideout reunites with his wife, Krista, in a photo shared by President Donald Trump on Aug. 16, 2026. @realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
President Donald Trump said on Aug. 16 that the American missionary pilot who was kidnapped in Niger last year is set to fly back to the United States following his release from captivity.
Kevin Rideout, a pilot with Christian missionary organization Serving In Mission, or SIM International, was abducted by three men outside his home in Niger’s capital, Niamey, on Oct. 21, 2025. Rideout was released and transferred to U.S. custody on Aug. 14.
“I am happy to reveal that former hostage Kevin Rideout is getting ready to fly home to the United States after having been reunited with his beautiful wife, Krista,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Trump said Rideout is the 110th American captive freed since the start of his second administration in January 2025, adding that he looks forward to hosting Rideout and his wife at the White House soon.
Details surrounding Rideout’s abduction remain unclear, and it’s unknown who was behind the kidnapping. After his abduction, the kidnappers were believed to have traveled toward the western Tillaberi region of Niger, where Islamic terrorists are active.
SIM International said in an Aug. 14 statement that the pilot is in good health and had been placed under the care of U.S. officials.
“We are grateful to confirm that our good friend and brother in Christ, Kevin Rideout, has been released after over nine months in captivity,” the organization said.
In a Truth Social post announcing Rideout’s release on Aug. 14, Trump said the pilot was kidnapped by “Jihadi terrorists” in the region.
He called West Africa the “epicenter of Islamist terrorism, where there have been more deadly attacks in the past year than anywhere else on Earth.”
Niger, a landlocked nation in West Africa, has witnessed a surge in attacks from groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorist groups, particularly along its southern border with Nigeria and in the tri-border region with Mali and Burkina Faso.
The country is ruled by a military junta that took power in 2023 after deposing the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. The junta ousted Western partners, including the United States, which until then had soldiers in Niger.
The U.S. embassy in Niger issued a security alert just one day after Rideout’s abduction last year, warning U.S. citizens of a “heightened risk of kidnapping” throughout the West African nation.
According to the Oct. 22, 2025, alert, the embassy had modified its security posture to require armored vehicles for all travel by its personnel and their family members across Niger, while restricting their movements and imposing a mandatory curfew and routine accountability measures.
It stated that embassy personnel and their family members were also barred from entering restaurants and open-air markets due to safety concerns.
Rachel Roberts contributed to this report.
