Zuko Komisa
A kidnapped American pastor, Josh Sullivan, who was snatched at gunpoint from his church during a Thursday evening service, has been freed in a dramatic police operation that resulted in the deaths of three suspected abductors, authorities announced.
Sullivan (45) was delivering a sermon at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell Township, just outside the coastal city of Gqeberha, when he was abducted.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that Sullivan was leading a prayer meeting with approximately 30 individuals, including his wife and their six children, when the armed kidnappers stormed the church.
According to a statement released by the Hawks, Sullivan was subsequently held in a safe house within the city.
Acting on a crucial tip-off, a multi-agency police team descended on the identified location on Tuesday.
Upon arrival, officers spotted a vehicle believed to be linked to the kidnapping. As police moved in, suspects inside the vehicle attempted to escape, firing upon the officers.
The Hawks reported that law enforcement responded swiftly and decisively, engaging in a “high-intensity shootout.”
Tragically for the alleged perpetrators, three suspects were fatally wounded in the exchange.
In a remarkable turn of events, Pastor Sullivan was discovered inside the vehicle “miraculously unharmed,” the police statement confirmed.
He underwent immediate medical evaluation and is reported to be in “excellent condition.”
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