A Mozambican court has denied bail for Ryan Koher, a pilot for the U.S.-based ministry Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), and two of the ministry’s South African volunteers who were arrested on Nov. 4 for allegedly “supporting terrorism.”
Koher, 31, was taken into custody by officials in Mozambique while preparing to fly vitamins and other supplies to church-run orphanages in the Cabo Delgado Province, CBN News reported.
Officials took interest in over-the-counter medications and food preservative supplies that belong to Ambassador Aviation Ltd. (AAL), which is a partner of U.S.-based non-profit MAF.
According to MAF, the trio was bringing supplies for orphanages in the northern part of the country and it was a flight MAF, known as Ambassador Aviation Ltd. in Mozambique, had flown many times in the past.
Koher is currently being held in a high-security Mozambique prison, KTVB-TV reported.
Koher and his associates have remained in jail for 76 days without any written charges being filed. The ministry said in a statement that Koher “has peace from God and is committed to His will.”
The northern part of Mozambique has been dealing with jihadist insurgents for the past couple of years.
MAF said their country’s director was able to meet with U.S. Ambassador Peter Hendrick Vrooman who was in Nampula to discuss Koher’s situation.
The ministry reported the investigation by the Mozambican prosecutor is continuing and hopefully will wrap up at the end of the month. Annabel and their two young sons have returned to MAF headquarters in Nampa, Idaho, and are being cared for by family, their church family, and MAF staff.
Words of encouragement to Annabel can be emailed to prayforpilotryan [at] maf [dot] org.
