Mozambique authorities drop case against missionary pilot

Authorities of the east African country completed the investigation of missionary pilot Ryan Koher and confirmed that no charges would be filed, the nonprofit Mission Aviation Fellowship, or MAF, said Tuesday. Koher was arrested in November 2022 on suspicion of involvement in insurgent activities and spent more than four months in prison while the investigation took place. MAF knew Koher was innocent from the start, CEO David Holsten said. It’s been an uphill battle and hopefully, God will receive all the glory, Koher said of the investigation’s end.

How was he accused of engaging in insurgency? Koher was detained by airport security in November 2022 after a routine security check ahead of his flight to deliver supplies to an orphanage. Authorities flagged and confiscated some vitamins, over-the-counter medications, and food preservative supplies, none of which belonged to Koher, according to MAF. Authorities arrested the pilot on suspicion of supporting insurgents in northern Mozambique.

Koher spent more than four months in Mozambican prisons, before he was eventually released in March 2023, but was still required to remain in the country. In September 2023, a judge returned his passport and he was permitted to return to the United States while his court case played out. The announcement earlier this week means the investigation has been concluded and no charges will be filed. The pilot and his wife, Annabel, said they plan on returning to Mozambique to resume their work in 2025.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report for more on Koher’s mission work and arrest.