An American missionary, Pastor Josh Sullivan, has been kidnapped by armed men during a church service in South Africa.
Reports gathered that the incident occurred on Thursday at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, near the coastal city of Gqeberha. Police authorities and a fellow pastor confirmed the event in statements released Friday.
According to the police, four masked men entered the church while Pastor Sullivan was preaching. They stole two mobile phones before abducting the 45-year-old in front of his wife, six children, and about 30 worshippers.
“They threatened him with a gun, forced him into his own car, and drove away,” said a witness.
The car was later found abandoned about 1.5 kilometers from the church.
Reverend Jeremy Hall, a colleague based in the same region, told AFP that the attackers appeared to know Sullivan personally and may have kidnapped him for ransom.
Sullivan, who moved from Tennessee to South Africa with his family in 2018, had been actively involved in missionary work since then, according to his website.
This incident comes amid a disturbing rise in kidnappings across South Africa. Police records show over 17,000 kidnapping cases were reported in the 2023/2024 financial year — an 11 percent increase from the previous year.
Just two days earlier, a Chinese national was also kidnapped in the same city, highlighting growing concerns about safety in the region.
The police anti-gang unit has launched an investigation, and efforts to locate and rescue Pastor Sullivan are ongoing.
