“… The American was abducted from his Fellowship Baptist Church in Motherwell Township, outside the coastal city of Gqeberha, and was rescued from a safehouse being used by his captors in that city.
… "The operation followed verified intelligence wherein a coordinated team (of several police units) moved swiftly to the identified location," police said. "As officers approached the house, they observed a vehicle on the premises. The suspects inside the vehicle upon seeing law enforcement allegedly attempted to flee and opened fire on the team. The officers responded with tactical precision, leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded."
Police said Sullivan was discovered in the same vehicle and "miraculously unharmed, he was immediately assessed by medical personnel and is currently in an excellent condition."
Police have said that four armed, masked male suspects entered the church on Thursday, stole two cellphones and then abducted Sullivan, in his car, a Toyota Fortuner, which was found a short time later in Motherwell.
Rev. Jeremy Hall, a local pastor, told French news agency AFP that Sullivan's abduction was likely "financially related." [ransom was demanded]
… Sullivan arrived in South Africa with his family from Tennessee in November 2018, according to
his personal website. …”
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Very glad this guy was saved from kidnappers but this being South Africa, I am dubious of the miraculous nature that he was the only survivor in the same vehicle in which his kidnappers were killed during the rescue. Not offering any sympathy to the criminals, mind you, just unions of the government description of the rescue.
