Gunmen opened fire on a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in southern Jordan on Friday, killing at least seven people and wounding 40, authorities said, in a rare attack on the country’s Christian minority that officials called terrorism.
The attackers have not been captured, and no one has claimed responsibility. The shooting took place in the town of Hmoud, in Karak province, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of the capital, Amman.
King Abdullah II said the attack would be met with the “harshest penalties.”
What We Know So Far
Mourners had gathered at the church to bury a member of the community when the shooting began. One mourner, Dorgham Halasa, said intense gunfire erupted about 15 minutes after the funeral started and people began running. Witnesses told Jordanian state media that dozens of people were inside, with more than 150 inside and outside the church.
Surveillance video aired by Jordan’s state owned Al-Mamlaka television, which Reuters said it verified, showed three people firing at the church from a sidewalk, hiding behind trees and a low wall, then running toward its entrance. Footage from the scene showed broken glass and blood on the floor.
Witnesses said the shooting went on for several minutes. A woman told CNN that gunmen shouted “Allahu Akbar” and targeted the courtyard, where most people were standing, and that she hid behind the altar with other mourners. “It was a massacre,” she said.
Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said two of the wounded are in critical condition. Public Security Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Abdallah al-Maaytah said most of the injured were still being treated and the hunt for the attackers continues. The casualty toll was revised several times during the day, CNN said.
What Authorities Are Saying
Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh said the attack was carried out by “extremists,” but that it was too early to say whether they had links to known groups inside or outside Jordan.
King Abdullah visited Karak hours after the attack. “The blood of Jordanians is precious,” he wrote on X, promising to strike those responsible “with an iron fist.” Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said the attack grew out of “terrorist ideology” and extremism rooted in takfir, the practice of declaring others infidels, and vowed that society would not go down that path. He declared three days of national mourning, with flags at half staff on government and public buildings.
A government statement said the attack was carried out by “unknown assailants” and that investigations were underway “at full speed.” It did not say whether any gunmen were captured or killed.
Condemnation came from the U.S. embassy in Jordan, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb in Cairo, the Iraqi government, and officials in Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Oman. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it “especially heinous,” his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz called it a “depraved and brutal attack on a house of worship.”
The U.S. embassy told American citizens to expect a heavier police presence across Jordan, including at malls and foreign embassies in Amman.
Differing Accounts
The sources differ on how many attackers there were and how they arrived. The security video shows three gunmen. Eyewitness Tamer Halasa told Al-Mamlaka that two people got out of a vehicle and began shooting. Dorgham Halasa told the AP that other people reported seeing four. The AP could not independently verify the number.
They also describe the weapons differently. A witness told Al-Mamlaka one attacker carried an AK-47 assault rifle. In footage on state television, the AP described two men who appeared to hold pistols and a third who appeared to hold a semiautomatic rifle.
The church and town names vary as well. CNN named St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Hmoud, while Reuters called it Hamoud Church in Karak governorate.
Why This Matters
Sectarian attacks are rare in Jordan, where Christians make up about 2% of the population. The town has been home to a predominantly Christian community for centuries. The country, a close U.S. partner in the fight against Islamist militant groups, has said it has repeatedly foiled attempted attacks in recent years, Reuters said.
In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in Karak, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists, killing 10 people including seven officers. Security forces killed those gunmen after a long standoff.
Jordan was also among the U.S. allies in the region hit by Iranian attacks this year after the United States and Israel struck Iran in February.
What Happens Next
Police are searching for the gunmen, and Hassan said the attackers will be punished. Investigators have not said who was behind the attack or whether it was linked to any group. Jordan’s three days of mourning are under way.
Sources: CNN, the Associated Press and Reuters, citing Jordan’s Public Security Directorate, the Interior and Health ministries, the Petra news agency, Al-Mamlaka television and eyewitnesses.
