Gunmen Kill Nine at Jordan Church Funeral
Police say extremists targeted the Greek Orthodox service in Karak governorate, where 40 people were also injured.
By Carolina Wood ·
Nine people died and 40 were wounded when gunmen opened fire at a funeral service in Jordan on Friday. The attack took place at St George's Greek Orthodox church in the town of Hamoud, located in the Karak governorate. Authorities labeled the incident a terrorist act committed by extremists.
Maj. Gen. Abdallah al-Maaytah, head of the Public Security Directorate, stated that most of the injured are currently receiving medical treatment. He confirmed that a search for the shooters is still ongoing. The health minister also placed the number of injured at 40.
Interior minister Mazin Al Farrayeh described the attackers as extremists. He noted that it was too early to determine if they had ties to specific groups inside or outside Jordan. No organization has claimed responsibility for the shooting so far.
Footage from a security camera at the church, aired by state television, showed three individuals firing from a pavement. The video showed them sheltering behind trees and a low wall before running toward the building entrance. Reuters verified the clip by matching the path and surrounding structures.
Witnesses described a scene of chaos inside the church. Priest Theodoros Soueiss told attendees to get down during the exchange. He said, "A sense of panic took hold among those present." Soueiss added that the gunfire was indiscriminate. Khaled Burqan, who attended the funeral, told Al-Mamlaka that dozens of people were present and that the firing lasted several minutes. Another witness, Ihab Ammareen, said he saw bloodied people collapse on the floor. He recalled that people were crying and screaming.
Prime minister Jafar Hassan posted on X that the attack was the result of terrorist ideology. He said the country would not allow society to follow that path. King Abdullah visited Karak within hours of the shooting. He promised that the perpetrators would be punished with an iron fist. The king stated that those trying to divide Jordanians with bullets have no chance.
The US embassy in Amman said on Saturday that security had been increased at malls, foreign embassies, and other sites across the country. UN secretary general António Guterres condemned the violence against a place of worship. Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, called the incident a depraved and brutal attack. Jordan is home to a Christian minority and several biblical sites. Outside a hospital in Karak, Hani Al-Mbaydeen said the state must investigate how dark ideas enter the minds of children.
