Abducted US pastor freed in South Africa after deadly shoot-out

An American pastor who was abducted by armed men during a church service in South Africa has been rescued following a “high-intensity shoot-out” that resulted in the deaths of three people, police have confirmed.

Josh Sullivan, 45, was found unharmed on Tuesday evening in a township in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape—the same area where he was kidnapped last Thursday.

While few details have emerged about the abductors, authorities revealed that a ransom demand had been made, which led to the involvement of South Africa’s elite police unit, the Hawks.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Hawks said they acted on “verified intelligence” and executed a coordinated operation to locate and rescue Sullivan. According to spokesperson Avele Fumba, the suspects tried to escape in a vehicle and opened fire as officers moved in.

“The officers responded with tactical precision, resulting in a high-intensity shoot-out in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded,” Fumba said.

Since Sullivan’s abduction, his family and friends had issued emotional appeals for his release. Jeremy Hall, a family spokesman, told TimesLIVE that he had been present at the church service with his wife and children when Sullivan was taken. “They knew his name,” Hall recalled.

On his personal website, Sullivan refers to himself as “a church planting missionary.” He moved to South Africa with his wife and children in 2018 to establish a church serving Xhosa-speaking communities.

South Africa has seen a sharp rise in kidnappings for ransom over the past ten years.