American pastor Josh Sullivan was rescued Tuesday amid a shootout between South African police and his captors that left three suspects dead, authorities said Wednesday. Sullivan, originally from Tennessee, was abducted at gunpoint during a prayer meeting at his church in South Africa on the evening of April 10.
According to a statement issued by the the South African Police Service, a specialized unit dedicated to serious crime, known as the Hawks, they led the operation to rescue the 45-year-old.
The American was abducted from his Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell Township, outside the coastal city of Gqeberha, and was rescued from a safehouse being used by his captors in that city.
“The operation followed verified intelligence wherein a coordinated team (of several police units) moved swiftly to the identified location,” police said. “As officers approached the house, they observed a vehicle on the premises. The suspects inside the vehicle upon seeing law enforcement allegedly attempted to flee and opened fire on the team. The officers responded with tactical precision, leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded.”
Police said Sullivan was discovered in the same vehicle and “miraculously unharmed, he was immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in an excellent condition.”