Freed missionary says Islamic State held him in Mali
Freed missionary pilot Kevin Rideout said he was held by the Islamic State in Mali after being kidnapped in Niger, offering his first account of nearly 10 months in captivity. Metro Voice has previously reported on Islamic terrorism in Mali.
A video released Monday by the media office of eastern Libya’s military forces shows Rideout speaking after his release. Reuters said it could not independently verify when or where the footage was recorded.
“I was held by the Islamic State as a prisoner in Mali for 10 months,” Rideout said. He described being abducted outside his Niamey home and transported by motorcycle from Niger into Mali.
Rideout told his family he was free, in good health and eager to see them. He also thanked Saddam Haftar, a senior commander in eastern Libya, along with Libyan military and special forces personnel who helped secure his release and bring him safely to Libya.
President Donald Trump said Sunday that Rideout had reunited with his wife, Krista, and was preparing to fly home. Trump said the couple would be invited to the White House. As of Tuesday afternoon, neither the White House nor SIM International had confirmed that Rideout had arrived in the United States.
The evangelical mission agency announced Friday that Rideout had been released into U.S. custody. He was kidnapped Oct. 21, 2025, while working as a pilot for SIM International.
How his release was secured remains disputed. Reuters reported that four of five sources familiar with the operation described a brokered deal, with one saying a ransom was paid. A source in Haftar’s Libyan National Army instead claimed its commandos conducted a raid in Mali. The State Department declined to comment on Libya’s role.
Rideout’s statement provides the clearest public identification yet of his captors. No organization had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, although Islamic State and al-Qaida affiliates operate across Niger and Mali.
Islamic groups, particularly the ISIS-affiliated Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) and the al Qaeda-affiliated JNIM, have grown in strength and influence in the region since the takeover.
“JNIM activity in Niger saw a substantial increase… representing an almost fourteenfold increase in fatalities and marking the highest number of deaths and attacks by JNIM in the country to date,” according to a 2025 report from the Global Terrorism Index.
–Alan Goforth
