King Abdullah II Demands Harshest Penalties After Karak Church Massacre
Three gunmen killed seven people and injured 34 others during a 15-minute ambush at a funeral in central Jordan.
By Alina Carter ·
King Abdullah II of Jordan ordered the "harshest penalties" against the perpetrators of a Friday shooting that killed seven people at a church funeral in the Karak governorate. The attack occurred in the town of Hmoud, leaving at least 34 others injured.
Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya identified the attackers as a "group of extremists" at a news conference. He described the incident as "painful and horrific" and stated it was "unparalleled in the history of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan." The government is currently working to arrest those responsible, though no individual or group has claimed responsibility for the violence.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene inside the church. Khalid al-Mdanat, who was present, said the shooting lasted approximately 15 minutes. He reported that people attempted to flee while gunfire remained active. Al-Mdanat noted that the gunmen exited through the main doors and escaped in a pickup truck, firing as they drove away. Another witness described the sound as resembling a war starting, while a woman inside said gunfire began seconds after a prayer and continued to escalate for 10 continuous minutes.
Footage verified by the BBC shows three men approaching the church from a road. Two appeared to enter a vehicle entrance, retreat briefly, and then return with a third man. All three were seen carrying handguns. Aftermath footage shows dead and wounded individuals on the ground in the courtyards.
Authorities initially reported inconsistent death tolls, with a government spokesperson citing six victims before officials returned to the figure of seven. Security around a Karak hospital treating the wounded was heavy, with nearby roads closed to force pedestrians to walk. Residents expressed shock and anger, with some criticizing what they called a failure to take a tougher approach toward terrorists.
Karak holds a sizeable Christian community within Jordan's majority Muslim population. While violence is rare in the country, deadly attacks have occurred in the past. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the event as a "heinous terrorist attack" that violated the sanctity of funeral mourners, according to Lebanese media reports.
The King visited the injured to inspect the situation, prompting further tightening of security. Families gathered at the hospital entrance, where crying and shouting marked the tense atmosphere. The incident underscores the vulnerability of religious gatherings in the region despite the country's generally stable security environment.
