Team of Navy SEALs safely rescues American hostage in Nigeria

U.S. forces escaped unscathed, the Pentagon said.

Published: October 31, 2020 11:43am

Updated: October 31, 2020 11:02pm

A team of elite U.S. Navy SEALs successfully rescued an American hostage in Nigeria on Saturday, reportedly escaping unscathed, according to a military release.

American force — reportedly the Navy's famed SEAL Team 6 — conducted "a hostage rescue operation during the early hours of 31 October in Northern Nigeria to recover an American citizen held hostage by a group of armed men," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a Saturday statement.

"This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State," he said, adding, "No U.S military personnel were injured during the operation.

The rescued citizen was reportedly a religious missionary. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday that the United States "will never abandon any American taken hostage."