Trump announces release of American missionary held captive in Niger

US President Donald Trump has announced the return of American missionary Kevin Rideout to US custody after more than nine months in captivity in Niger, saying this return marks the release of the 110th American from captivity since his second inauguration as president.

Sharing a post on Truth Social, Trump noted that he plans to meet Rideout and his wife at the White House, Caliber.Az reports.

“I look forward to seeing Kevin and Krista at the White House soon!” he wrote.

According to CNN, he was handed over to US authorities on Friday.

The group responsible for holding him has not been officially identified.

Rideout worked with the Christian missionary organisation SIM International. He was abducted outside his home in Niamey on October 21, 2025, and was believed to have been taken toward western Niger, where Islamist militants operate.

SIM International remarked that Rideout was in good health and in the care of US officials and would soon be reunited with his family.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov