Originally published in The Christian Post
Once he returns home, recently freed American missionary pilot Kevin Rideout and his wife, Krista, are expected to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House.
President Trump announced the meeting Sunday night, just two days after Serving In Mission, also known as SIM, disclosed in a statement Friday that Rideout was freed after nine months of captivity in Niger, West Africa.
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“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 statement on Truth Social Sunday night.
“This return marks the 110th captive American liberated since I was sworn in as President for a second time. I look forward to seeing Kevin and Krista at the White House soon!” he added.
Rideout, a 50-year-old father of four, was kidnapped outside his home in the Château 1 neighbourhood of Niamey, the capital of Niger, last October. He was taken by three men near the grand Bravia Hotel, in the city center, just a few hundred meters from the presidential palace. His release came nearly three months after US forces killed Abu Bilal al-Minuki, described by multiple outlets as ISIS’ global second-in-command, a development several reports have tied to the broader security situation in the region.
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In a video released by the media arm of the Libyan National Army, Libya Al Hadath, Rideout said he had been working with SIM for 20 years when he was kidnapped and transported by motorcycle to Mali.
“I was held by the Islamic State as a prisoner in Mali for 10 months,” he said while noting that he is in “good health.”
He also thanked General Saddam Haftar, the Libyan army, special forces and everyone else who worked to secure his release and transportation to Libya. The caption accompanying the video noted that the Libyan National Army, “with the approval of the general commander and under the supervision and coordination of the deputy general commander, the elite force [carried] out an operation to raid inside the financial territory” to rescue Rideout and transfer him to Benghazi.
That account has been disputed by multiple sources. Reuters reports that four of five sources familiar with the situation said Rideout’s release was secured through negotiation, not a military raid, and that a ransom was paid. Those sources credited the effort to Cherif Ould Tahar, a Malian businessman with ties to regional armed groups, with Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar serving as a security broker. Only one source, from within Haftar’s own forces, maintained that an elite commando unit carried out a raid into Malian territory.
A separate US official offered yet another account to The New York Times, saying Rideout’s release was not the result of any military rescue operation but came about “by other means,” and linking it to sustained US military pressure on the Islamic State rather than to Libyan involvement.
Rideout was reportedly accompanied by FBI officials during his return travel to the US, according to The New York Times.
In their statement announcing Rideout’s release last Friday, SIM thanked Christians who prayed for Rideout.
“Krista and the rest of Kevin’s family are profoundly grateful for the prayers offered on their behalf by people around the world throughout his captivity, and in particular for the deep level of prayer and support offered by our SIM family,” the ministry said. “We ask that you respect the privacy of the family while they reconnect after this time apart.”
Franklin Graham also celebrated the news, writing online, “We thank God that American missionary Kevin Rideout has been freed and is on his way home! Kevin is a pilot with @simintl and was kidnapped in Niger in October. This is an answer to prayer! I know that his wife and four children are so grateful and excited to finally have him back.”
Both Rideout and his brother Ian worked as pilots for the Charlotte, North Carolina-based ministry, according to a 2014 report from the Wellesley Townsman.
“The brothers fly mission personnel and equipment and supplies within Niger and across West Africa, helping to facilitate the work of numerous organisations in one of the world’s least developed countries,” the report explained.
“Their work involves supporting drilling wells to provide clean water; aiding refugees from war-torn countries; reforestation and land reclamation projects; hospitals; aiding flood victims; teaching literacy; enabling widows to start micro enterprises or caring for orphans, all bringing hope to people across the region.”
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