An American pastor, Josh Sullivan, has been kidnapped by gunmen during a church service in South Africa.
Sullivan, who moved to the country in 2018 to work as a missionary, was leading a service at Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell, a township in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, on Thursday evening when four armed and masked men entered the church.
Police spokesman, Captain Andre Beetge, told the BBC that the attackers stole two phones and drove off with the pastor in his silver Toyota Fortuner. The vehicle was later found abandoned, but there was no sign of Sullivan.
“The case has been handed over to the Hawks,” Beetge said. The Hawks are South Africa’s special police unit that handles serious crimes like kidnappings, organised crime, and corruption.
Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Avele Fumba, said, “The police are currently following all possible leads to locate the victim and arrest the suspects.”
A spokesperson for the US State Department said they are aware of the incident. “There is no greater priority than the safety and security of US citizens abroad,” the official told the BBC.
Jeremy Hall, a family spokesman, told *TimesLive* that he was at the church with his wife and children when the incident happened. “They knew his name,” he said, suggesting the kidnapping may have been planned.
Sullivan’s mother, Tonya Morton Rinker, wrote on Facebook that she was heartbroken. “Our congressman and American embassy are working on finding him,” she said.
As of now, no ransom demand has been made, according to *News24*.
Sullivan describes himself on his personal website as “a church planting missionary.” He said he moved to South Africa with his wife and children to build a church for the local Xhosa-speaking community.
Kidnappings in South Africa have become more common. Police data shows a 264% increase in the past ten years. Just days ago, a Chinese national was also kidnapped in Gqeberha.
