Josh Sullivan, a U.S. pastor kidnapped at gunpoint while delivering a sermon in his church in South Africa Thursday evening has been rescued in a shootout that left three suspects dead, authorities say.

An American pastor abducted by gunmen during his sermon at a South African church last week was rescued during a deadly “high-stakes” shootout, which left three suspects dead. Josh Sullivan, 45, was rescued by the “Hawks” — the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation — during a fatal shootout in the southeastern port city of Gqeberha on Tuesday,

Three suspects were killed as the police moved in on a safe house where the pastor from Tennessee was being held.