An American pastor abducted by gunmen during his sermon at a South African church last week was rescued during a deadly “high-stakes” shootout, which left three suspects dead.
Josh Sullivan, 45, was rescued by the “Hawks” — the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation — during a fatal shootout in the southeastern port city of Gqeberha on Tuesday, the South African Police Service said.
Three unidentified suspects were killed in the “high-stakes shootout.”
Sullivan was found “miraculously” unharmed in a safe house, officials said.
Police arrived at the safe house and discovered the three individuals inside a vehicle.
The gunmen attempted to flee from police and opened fire.
Officials shot back and “fatally wounded” the gunmen.
Sullivan was recovered from inside the vehicle.
He was accessed by medical personnel and is said to be in “excellent condition.”
The Tennessee native was preaching to his congregation of about 30 people at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell when four armed men broke in and abducted him on April 10.
Rev. Jeremy Hall, the Sullivan family spokesperson, says he witnessed the abduction and revealed the gunmen knew the pastor as they held the pastor’s wife Meagan hostage.
“They knew his name,” Hall told TimesLive.
“The men came into the church and initially held Meagan and walked her towards the door before saying, ‘Josh, is this your wife?’ They then pushed her to the ground and took Josh before driving off in his vehicle.”
Besides Sullivan, the four men also stole two phones and the pastor’s Toyota Fortuner, using the car to flee the area before ditching a mile down the road.
No motive was announced for the abduction but Hall said it could’ve been “financially related.”
The “Hawks” are assigned to cases that have ransoms involved, BBC reported.
No ransom was initially made by the abductors but a demand was later made.
Kidnappings in South Africa have increased upwards of 264 percent in the last decade, according to the outlet.
“This operation demonstrates the critical importance of inter-agency collaboration and timely intelligence in tackling serious organized crime. The Hawks commend the bravery and professionalism of all officers and support personnel involved in securing the victim’s safe return,” police said.
Meagan Sullivan called for her followers to continue praying for her husband’s return after his abduction.
“We beg you to continue storming the throne room until Josh is safe at home,” she wrote on Facebook.
The self-proclaimed “church planting missionary” moved his family from the US to South Africa in November 2018 to establish a church for Xhosa-speaking people, according to his personal website.
Several churches reacted to the news of Sullivan’s discovery Tuesday night.
“Hallelujuah,” Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, Tenn. wrote, the church Sullivan has been on staff since 2012
“Praise the Lord,” Fellowship Baptist Church in Mossy Grove, Tenn. said.
