AMERICAN MISSIONARY PILOT KIDNAPPED IN NIAMEY, NIGER
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Multiple security sources in Niger have confirmed that an American missionary pilot was abducted from his residence in the capital city, Niamey, late Tuesday night.
Authorities say the kidnapping took place just about 100 yards from the presidential palace, in a neighborhood considered highly secured. According to reports, three unidentified armed assailants carried out the abduction.
The victim is understood to be a long-time missionary pilot affiliated with a U.S. charity. He is believed to have been working in Niger since around 2010. After the abduction, the man’s mobile phone was allegedly tracked to a location approximately 56 miles north of Niamey, in a zone known to harbor groups linked to the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS).
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, and neither the Nigerien government nor the U.S. Embassy in Niamey has issued an official response. Security sources suggest that the abduction may have been orchestrated by an extremist group operating along Niger’s borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.
The incident comes more than two years after a military coup in Niger that led to the ouster of President Mohamed Bazoum, who has reportedly been held within the presidential palace grounds since his deposition.
Nigerien security agencies, in cooperation with international partners, have launched a search and rescue operation aimed at locating the abductors and securing the safe release of the American national.
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