President Donald Trump confirms that Kevin Rideout, a U.S. missionary who was kidnapped in Niger, has been released and is back in U.S. custody. Trump makes the announcement on Friday, indicating Rideout has returned to the United States.
Other reporting frames the same event as a celebration of Rideout’s return after months in captivity. Sources also cite that Rideout was held since October, and describe him as a Christian missionary and pilot connected to evangelical missionary work. While the outlets differ slightly in wording and emphasis—one focusing directly on the confirmation of release, another on Trump’s “celebration”— both describe the outcome as Rideout’s captivity ending and his return to the United States.
The reports do not provide additional public details on how his release happens or what arrangements are involved. Both accounts rest on Trump’s public confirmation and the broader context of a kidnapping case in West Africa.
