Kidnapped U.S. pastor rescued in South Africa after ‘high-intensity shootout’

The American pastor kidnapped at gunpoint last week in South Africa was rescued late Tuesday in a “high-intensity” shootout that left three people dead, local authorities said.

Josh Sullivan, 35, was abducted by a group of armed men last week who raided his small congregation, a branch of Fellowship Baptist Church in the southern town of Motherwell, as he was leading a prayer service, according to the Associated Press.

The pastor has been living in South Africa with his wife, Meagan, and their children since 2018.

He was successfully rescued near a safe-house where he had been held around 14 miles away from Motherwell in the city of Gqeberha.

Hawks — the branch of the South African Police Service that investigates organized crime — carried out the recovery operation with various other police teams after they received verified intelligence, South African police said in a statement Wednesday.

Police said they opened fire on three suspects attempting to flee the safehouse in a vehicle, responding “with tactical precision, leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded.”

Sullivan, who was inside the vehicle, was found “miraculously unharmed,” police added, saying that he was immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in “an excellent condition.”

Sullivan’s mother Tonya Morton Rinker said in a Facebook post Tuesday that the pastor had returned home with his wife and children.

“A sad situation but I’m so thankful my son is home alive and safe. Thank you Lord!” Rinker said in a post.

In an earlier statement Monday, Rinker told NBC News that Sullivan is “an exceptional father, husband, and son, embodying kindness, strength and generosity” and added that his “humor and wit are a blessing.”

Last week Sullivan’s church, the Fellowship Baptist Church, urged its followers to “please pray for Josh Sullivan” in a statement on Facebook.

The church, which is based in Tennessee, said Saturday that in the days since Sullivan’s kidnapping, it had faced growing questions, including what it described as “malicious and hateful” messages about why it deploys missionaries. 

South African police said it would continue to investigate Sullivan’s abduction and asked anyone with information about the case to come forward.

“We extend sincere appreciation to all role players that includes our law enforcement members, the public, international partners, both local and international media whose support and vigilance were instrumental in this success,” it added.