By MICHELLE GUMEDE, Associated Press
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — An American pastor who was kidnapped last week by armed and masked men during a sermon in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa was rescued on Tuesday after three of his abductors engaged in gunfire with officials and were killed, police reported Wednesday.
The 45-year-old American citizen, Josh Sullivan from Tennessee, has been based in the Motherwell township branch of the Fellowship Baptist church since 2018 alongside his wife and two children.
The missionary was abruptly abducted on Thursday evening when four men broke into the Fellowship Baptist church in Motherwell. They stole two cellphones from members of the congregation before seizing Sullivan from the pulpit and bundling him out of the building. His truck was found abandoned a few hours later.
A multi-agency task force, including the Anti-Gang Unit and the Serious Organised Crime unit, took over the investigation. On Tuesday night they approached the location where they suspected Sullivan was being held, a house in KwaMagxaki, Gqeberha about 20 minutes’ drive from the Baptist church.
According to police, a shootout began when suspects in a car parked outside the house tried to escape and began firing at them. Three unidentified suspects were killed, police said.
“The victim was found inside the same vehicle from which the suspects had launched their attack,” Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba said in a statement. “Miraculously unharmed, he was immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in an excellent condition.”
The number of kidnappings in South Africa has risen by 264% over the past decade, police data showed.
According to the Institute of Security Studies, a think tank specializing in Africa, kidnapping has become a key tactic in armed robberies and carjackings. In its latest Africa report, the ISS notes that less than 5% of kidnappings in South Africa involve ransom demands.
Since his release, Sullivan, who describes himself as “a church-planting missionary” on his personal website, has been reunited with his wife Meagan and their two children.
A man named Tom Hatley, whom Sullivan describes on his personal blog as his childhood and training pastor, posted a picture of Sullivan and his family on Facebook. Explaining that he had received “the go ahead to let it be known”, Hatley said, “Josh has been released.”
“Thank you for your support and prayers. Please do not stop praying for The Sullivans,” his post read.
“Also, PLEASE respect The Sullivans privacy and their parents. A lot of folks love The Sullivans, and they love you back, but give them some time.”