Gqeberha, South Africa – An American missionary, Josh Sullivan, who was abducted from his church in Motherwell last week, has been freed by South African police. The rescue occurred during a shootout in which three suspects were killed, police announced Wednesday.
Sullivan, 45, was taken at gunpoint last Thursday while delivering a sermon at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, near Gqeberha.
Acting on a tip-off, police approached a house in the KwaMagxaki district of Gqeberha on Tuesday. As officers arrived, the suspects attempted to escape in a vehicle and opened fire, according to a police statement.
The ensuing shootout resulted in the deaths of all three suspects. Sullivan was found "miraculously unharmed" inside the same vehicle.
Sullivan, who is from Tennessee, arrived in South Africa with his family in November 2018, according to his website.
Kidnappings in South Africa are on the rise, with over 17,000 cases reported in the 2023/2024 financial year, marking an 11% increase from the previous year, according to police statistics.
