Gunmen opened fire on mourners during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in southern Jordan on Friday, and thousands gathered on Sunday to bury the victims while the attackers remained at large.1,4,6
Jordan's interior minister, Mazen Al-Faraya, said at a press conference that at least seven people were killed and 34 others wounded, and that a group of extremists carried out the shooting. The attack took place at the church in the village of Hamoud in Karak province, about 110 miles south of the capital, Amman. Christians make up about 3 percent of Jordan's largely Muslim population, and the attack was rare for the country's Christian minority.4,1,6
The public security directorate said assailants stormed the church compound before opening fire, and that the gunmen got out of a vehicle and fired during a funeral procession. A manhunt is under way. State broadcaster Al-Mamlaka aired footage showing two gunmen in casual clothes brandishing pistols and a third carrying a long gun, who fired at the church from an entrance on the street before charging forward.4,6
An eyewitness told Al-Mamlaka that the gunmen fired continuously for five minutes before fleeing, and said 150 to 200 people were in and around the church, with most of the victims aged between 50 and 70. Father Yohanna Hamati told AFP that about 170 to 200 people were at the church for the funeral when firing began outside. Mourners initially struggled to understand what was happening, he said, before people rushed inside to escape.4,1
Sahar al-Halsa told Reuters that she sheltered behind a pillar as gunfire erupted and people screamed. When she rushed outside she found her cousin Assem wounded. "Assem, Assem, my darling, answer me," she recalled calling to him, and he briefly opened his eyes before dying. Another survivor, Samer Halsa, said, "We were sitting praying in the church….They started shooting while we were ducking," according to a video posted by Al-Mamlaka.1,5
The government said in a statement that the attack was "carried out by unknown assailants" and did not say whether any gunmen had been captured or killed. It said "investigations are underway at full speed." Officials have not established whether the attackers were connected to an armed group, and no organisation has claimed responsibility. Jordanian authorities have described the attack as "extremist terrorism," and Minister of Government Communications Mohammed Al-Momani said security forces were investigating.6,1,4
The reports differ on the death toll. Al Jazeera said nine people were killed and dozens wounded, and that the ninth victim, Mohammed al-Qasous, is due to be buried on Monday. AP, CBS News and the Daily Wire put the number killed at seven and the number wounded at 34, while NPR's headline gave seven killed and 40 wounded. The reports do not explain the difference.1,6,4,5,3
King Abdullah II visited some of the wounded in hospital on Friday and has promised a forceful response. He vowed the "harshest retaliation" against the attackers, writing on social media, "Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation." In a separate statement on X, he said Jordan "will confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties."1,4,6
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the Arab world's only Christian head of state, called the shooting a "heinous terrorist attack." A presidency statement said it "reaffirms once again that terrorism has no religion and no homeland, and its aim is to strike at coexistence and spread strife." Ahmed al-Tayeb, grand imam of Al-Azhar, also called it a "heinous terrorist attack" in offering condolences to the victims' families.4,6
Burials took place on Sunday beside St George's Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud, southwest of Amman, two days after the shooting. Coffins wrapped in Jordanian flags were carried through crowds as priests led prayers and security personnel stood guard. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan attended alongside government ministers and senior military and civilian officials, according to the state news agency Petra, which said thousands of citizens took part in the procession. The attack prompted three days of national mourning.1
Muslims were among those wounded, AFP reported, and expressions of solidarity have crossed religious lines. Father Hamati appealed for unity, stressing that Muslims had also suffered. "We make no distinction between Muslim and Christian," he told AFP. In Washington, members of the Jordanian community lit candles outside their country's embassy, where Ambassador Dina Kawar said efforts to stir religious division were "bound to fail."1
At the church on Saturday, bullet holes remained in the walls and wooden pews, windows had been shattered, and church workers were cleaning away blood. Karak was also the scene of a 2016 episode in which gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists, killing 10 people, including seven officers. Jordanian security forces killed those gunmen after a long standoff. Maj. Gen. Obeidallah Maaytah, Jordan's director of public security, said 27 of the wounded were still being treated.1,6,4
The assailants are still being sought. The ninth victim, Mohammed al-Qasous, is due to be buried on Monday, his family told the AFP news agency.1
