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An American pastor has been kidnapped by armed men who stormed a church service in Motherwell, a township in Gqeberha in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province, according to local authorities.
Pastor Josh Sullivan, 45, was conducting a service at Fellowship Baptist Church on Thursday evening when four masked and armed men entered the premises, police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge told the BBC.
The suspects reportedly stole two mobile phones before fleeing the church in Sullivan’s silver Toyota Fortuner. The vehicle was later found abandoned, but there has been no trace of the pastor.
“The case has been handed over to the Hawks,” Capt Beetge said, referring to South Africa’s elite investigative unit that handles organized crime, major commercial offenses, and corruption. Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba confirmed that the unit is “following all possible leads to locate the victim and apprehend the perpetrators.”
A spokesperson for the US State Department said they were aware of the kidnapping, adding, “There is no greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad.”
Sullivan’s family was present at the church during the attack. Jeremy Hall, a spokesman for the family, told TimesLive that the assailants appeared to have targeted Sullivan specifically. “They knew his name,” he said.
Sullivan’s mother, Tonya Morton Rinker, expressed her anguish in a Facebook post, writing that she was “heartbroken” and that efforts were underway involving their congressman and the US embassy.
No ransom demand has been made public, according to News24, a local news outlet.
Sullivan is described on his website as a “church planting missionary” who moved to South Africa with his wife and children in 2018 to establish a congregation for Xhosa-speaking people.
His abduction highlights growing concerns over rising kidnapping cases in South Africa. Over the past decade, the country has seen a 264% increase in such crimes, according to police statistics. Just days before Sullivan’s abduction, a Chinese national was also reportedly kidnapped in Gqeberha.
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