Funeral in Jordan's Karak Ends With Nine Dead
Gunmen opened fire at St George's Greek Orthodox church on Friday, injuring 40 others in what officials described as a terrorist act.
By Alina Carter ·
Forty people required medical treatment after gunfire erupted during a funeral service at a church in Jordan on Friday. Nine others were killed in the attack, which targeted a Christian congregation in the country's Karak governorate. This was a rare incident of violence against the nation's religious minority.
The shooting occurred at St George's Greek Orthodox church in the town of Hamoud. Maj Gen Abdallah al-Maaytah, who leads the Public Security Directorate, stated that the search for the attackers remained active. He noted that most of the wounded were currently receiving care. Health Minister Mazen Al Farrayeh confirmed the total number of injured at 40.
Al Farrayeh identified the perpetrators as extremists but declined to confirm specific group affiliations at this stage. No organization has claimed responsibility for the event. Interior Minister Al Farrayeh indicated it was premature to determine if the attackers had ties to known organizations inside or outside Jordan.
Video from a security camera captured the sequence of events. The footage, verified by Reuters, showed three figures firing from a pavement before taking cover behind trees and a low wall. They then moved toward the building's entrance. Witness Theodoros Soueiss, a priest present at the service, described the chaos as people attempted to hide. "The gunfire was indiscriminate, and you never knew where a bullet might land," he said. Another attendee, Ihab Ammareen, reported seeing individuals collapse on the floor amid screams.
Political leaders responded swiftly to the incident. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan posted on X that the attack reflected a terrorist ideology. King Abdullah visited the Karak region within hours of the shooting. He promised that the perpetrators would face severe punishment and asserted that bullets could not divide the country. "They have no chance in the face of our unity," the King said.
Security measures have been increased across Jordan. The US embassy in Amman reported heightened protection at malls, foreign embassies, and other sites. UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the violence against civilians and places of worship. Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, labeled the event a brutal attack on a house of worship. Jordan has experienced relative stability, though US authorities report that they have thwarted multiple attempted attacks by Islamist militants in recent years.
Outside a government hospital in Karak, families gathered to support the injured. Hani Al-Mbaydeen expressed the community's shock at the event. He called for an investigation into how such dark ideas enter the minds of young people.
