Josh Sullivan, 45, was abducted at gunpoint while leading a prayer service last week at his church in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape Province.

Three suspected kidnappers were gunned down in a dramatic police operation that led to the rescue of an American pastor held hostage in South Africa.

Josh Sullivan, 45, was abducted at gunpoint while leading a prayer service last week at his church in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape Province.

According to the BBC, Josh Sullivan was found unharmed in the township in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday evening - the area where the 45-year-old was taken last Thursday.

There were no immediate details on the kidnappers, who had made a ransom demand.

Three suspects were killed during "a high-intensity shootout" as law enforcement officers approached a vehicle at a location where Sullivan was being held, police said.

In a statement issued Wednesday morning, South Africa’s elite police unit, the Hawks, announced that Sullivan was rescued after receiving “verified intelligence wherein a coordinated team… moved swiftly to the identified location.”

Hawks spokesperson Avele Fumba said the suspects tried to escape in a vehicle while opening fire as officers closed in on the house.

"The officers responded with tactical precision, leading to a high-intensity shootout in which three unidentified suspects were fatally wounded," Mr Fumba said.

Since Mr. Sullivan’s abduction, his family and friends have been desperately pleading for his safe return.

According to the family’s spokesperson, Jeremy Hall, Sullivan was taken from a church where he had been with his wife and children. Hall shared these details with the local newspaper TimesLIVE.

"They knew his name," he said at the time.

Mr Sullivan describes himself as "a church planting missionary" on his personal website.