A longtime American aid worker was kidnapped Saturday by gunmen who invaded his Niger home, killing two people before heading with their captive toward the Mali border.
Jeffrey Woodke — who lived in the city of Abalak since 1992 — was driven off in a pickup truck in what officials believe is the first abduction of a U.S. citizen in the Sahel region of Niger.
Woodke worked for a local organization unaffiliated with the government, according to Niger's Interior Ministry. Authorities were on the lookout for a white Nissan Hilux truck — the preferred ride of local terrorists.
Previous kidnappings in the region were done by Al Qaeda and criminal gangs who targeted French nationals and other Europeans for multi-million dollar ransoms.
No group claimed responsibility for the abduction of Woodke and the motivation for the sudden strike remained a mystery as local authorities pursued the kidnappers.
"These criminals are currently en route toward Mali and our forces are pursuing them," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
"The president of the republic is personally following the situation and our forces are fully mobilized to capture them and put an end to this disastrous affair."
Militants with ties to Al Qaeda had previously snatched foreigners in Niger and brought them to northern Mali.
In Burkina Faso, an Australian doctor and a Romanian man are being held captive.
The American embassy in Niger issued a warning Saturday for U.S. citizens inside the country that "the threat of kidnapping and hostage taking continues to be very high."
"We are aware of reports of the kidnapping of a U.S. citizen in Niger," the spokesperson said. "The U.S. Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas."
Woodke's home in Abalak, in Niger's Tahoua region, is about 155 miles from where 22 people were killed last week in a refugee camp.
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