Seven killed, 40 wounded in attack on church funeral in Jordan

Karak, Jordan. Gunmen killed seven people during a funeral on Friday at Hamoud Church in Karak governorate, according to Jordan’s Public Security Directorate chief. Authorities called the shooting a terrorist attack by extremists targeting the country’s Christian minority.

Search continues for attackers

Major General Abdallah al-Maaytah told a news conference that officers were still searching for the attackers and that most of the injured remained under medical care. The health minister put the number wounded at 40.

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Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh attributed the shooting to extremists but said authorities could not yet determine whether the perpetrators were connected to established groups operating domestically or abroad. No group immediately claimed responsibility.

Attacks of this kind are highly unusual in Jordan, a relatively stable US ally. Jordanian authorities say they have thwarted repeated attempts by Islamist militants to carry out attacks over recent years.

Footage and witnesses describe gunfire

Al-Mamlaka, Jordan’s state-owned television broadcaster, aired footage apparently recorded by a church security camera. It showed three people shooting towards the building from a sidewalk while taking cover behind trees and a low wall, before running towards the entrance.

Reuters verified the footage using features including the church’s entry path, its surrounding wall and other details.

Khaled Burqan, who attended the funeral, told Al-Mamlaka that dozens had gathered and that the attackers fired on them for several minutes.

Another witness, Ihab Ammareen, told the broadcaster that he saw bloodied people fall to the floor following the shooting. He described people crying, wailing and screaming, saying the scene was difficult to convey.

King visits Karak

King Abdullah travelled to Karak hours after the shooting and said those responsible would face punishment “with an iron fist”. The king is a major US partner in efforts to combat militant Islamist groups.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan blamed the attack on terrorist ideology and blind extremism, saying Jordan would not let society follow that course.