Gunmen Abduct American Pastor During Sermon In South Africa
An American missionary, Pastor Josh Sullivan, was abducted by armed men while preaching at his church in South Africa on Thursday evening.
The missionary was abducted at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell outside the coastal city of Gqeberha in what appeared to be a kidnapping for ransom, a colleague told AFP.
“It is alleged that while a sermon was being conducted at the church, four armed and masked male suspects entered the church,” police said in a statement.
“They robbed two cell phones and then took the 45-year-old male pastor with them and fled the scene,” the police added.
Reverend Jeremy Hall, a fellow pastor in the area, confirmed that Sullivan was leading a prayer meeting attended by around 30 people, including his wife and six children, when the attackers entered.
Hall noted that the kidnappers appeared to know Sullivan personally, addressing him by name before taking him at gunpoint.
Pastor Sullivan and his family had relocated to South Africa from Tennessee in November 2018 to carry out missionary work, according to information on his website.
The region has seen a spike in abductions, with over 17,000 cases reported during the 2023/2024 financial year, an 11 per cent rise from the previous year.
Just days before Sullivan’s kidnapping, a Chinese national was abducted in Gqeberha.
South Africa’s police anti-gang unit is investigating the incident.
Gunmen Abduct American Pastor During Sermon In South Africa is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
