An elite South African law enforcement squad has rescued a kidnapped American pastor following a deadly shootout with his captors.
Pastor Josh Sullivan was seized at gunpoint during a church service last Thursday evening in the nation’s fifth biggest city of Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth.
Following a ransom demand the specialist Hawks team tracked down the suspects inside a vehicle outside their nearby hiding place.
When the wanted men started shooting at the heavily armed officers, three of them were killed in a high-intensity shootout.
Pastor Sullivan miraculously survived unharmed despite being in the same vehicle as his kidnappers.
MASKED GUNMEN KIDNAPPED PASTOR IN HIS CHURCH AND DEMANDED RANSOM
He was kidnapped by four masked gunmen as he was giving a sermon at his Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, a township of Gqeberha in Eastern Cape Province.
South African Police Service spokesman Lt. Col. Avele Fumba said that following a ransom demand, the case was transferred from the police to the Hawks, a special law enforcement team that investigates organised crime.
He said the team tracked the kidnappers to a gated concrete building where its officers confronted the suspects inside a vehicle.
“Upon seeing the police approaching, we believe that they panicked, and started opening fire,” Mr. Fumba said.
“The officers responded with tactical precision, leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded.”
PASTOR JOSH SULLIVAN “MIRACULOUSLY UNHARMED IN EXCELLENT CONDITION”
“The victim was found inside the same vehicle from which the suspects had launched their attack.”
“Miraculously unharmed, he was immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in an excellent condition.”
Mr. Fumba asked for privacy for the pastor and his family “as they navigate this period of recovery.”
He added that the kidnapping was most likely perpetrated by “greedy youngsters looking to make some quick cash.”
Police are still looking for others who might have been involved.
RELIEF AND PRAYERS FOR PASTOR AND FAMILY IN THEIR TENNESSEE CHURCH
The kidnapping triggered a global prayer rally starting with Pastor Sullivan’s home church, the Fellowship Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee.
Its leader Pastor Tom Hatley welcomed the rescue, saying: “Josh has been released. Thank you for your support and prayers. Please do not stop praying for The Sullivans. Praise The Lord Jesus Christ!”
The Sullivans first traveled to South Africa in 2015 for a six-month internship as part of their Bible training.
“It was during this time that the Lord began to stir their hearts specifically for the Xhosa people,” explained their Tennessee church.
PASTOR SULLIVAN’S CALLING TO SOUTH AFRICA
“They returned in 2018 as full-time church planting missionaries, determined to share the Gospel, and see lives changed.”
Pastor Sullivan spent two years at a language school to become fluent in Xhosa “so he could preach, disciple, and minister more effectively.”
“That dedication led to the planting of Fellowship Baptist Church in the township of Motherwell, a community that has become home to their hearts,” the church said.
The couple have also taken in two Xhosa children to be a part of their household in South Africa.
Kidnappings in South Africa have surged in the last decade, with about 17,000 cases reported between April 2023 and March 2024.
Kidnappings with ransom demands make up just 5% of those abductions.
The majority are known as “express kidnappings,” and typically involve a victim being held for a few hours and forced to make bank transfers or withdraw cash from ATMs.
