US President Donald Trump has confirmed the release of American missionary Kevin Rideout, who spent more than nine months in captivity in Niger following his abduction in October 2025.
Trump said Rideout had been reunited with his wife, Krista, and was preparing to return to the United States. The US president announced the development in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.
“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 wrote.
Trump described Rideout’s release as the “110th captive American liberated” since he began his second term as president. He also said he looked forward to welcoming Rideout and his wife to the White House.
Rideout, a Christian missionary and pilot with SIM International, was abducted outside his home in Niamey, Niger, in October 2025. Three armed men reportedly seized him and transported him to the Tillaberi region in western Niger, an area that has faced persistent militant activity.
SIM International said Rideout was in good health and receiving care from US officials following his release. The organisation has not publicly provided extensive details about the circumstances surrounding his freedom.
Questions also remain over who held Rideout captive and how negotiations or other efforts resulted in his release. No detailed account of the operation or the identity of his captors had been made public at the time of the announcement.
Rideout had spent 19 years working in Niger and served as a pilot for SIM International, a Christian organisation with operations in more than 70 countries. His release brings an end to a lengthy period of uncertainty for his family and colleagues as he prepares to return home.
