Gunmen Kill Nine at Jordan Church Funeral as King Vows ‘Iron Fist’

The Jordan church funeral shooting in the village of Hamoud, in Karak governorate, left nine people dead and 40 injured after three gunmen opened fire on mourners gathered at St George’s Greek Orthodox church, authorities said. The attack on Friday was described by officials as a terrorist act carried out by extremists, and a search for the perpetrators was still under way on Saturday.

How the attack unfolded

Security camera footage broadcast on Al-Mamlaka state television showed three attackers firing from the pavement outside the church, using trees and a wall for cover before running toward the entrance. Reuters reported that it verified the video from the entry path, the wall and other visible details, and its footage showed blood near the church door. Security forces were deployed at the site.

Inside the church, the priest Theodoros Soueiss said people were ordered to the ground as panic spread. He described the gunfire as indiscriminate. Outside, witness Khaled Burqan said dozens of people were present when the gunmen fired for several minutes. Another witness, Ihab Ammareen, described seeing bloodied people collapse while others cried and screamed.

Victims and the manhunt

The health minister put the number of injured at 40. Maj gen Abdallah al-Maaytah, head of the Public Security Directorate, said most of the wounded were receiving treatment and that the hunt for those responsible was ongoing. No immediate claim of responsibility was made, and it remained unclear whether any of the attackers had been killed or captured.

Interior minister Mazin Al Farrayeh said the attack was the work of extremists but that it was too early to determine whether they had links to known groups. Prime minister Jafar Hassan said the assault stemmed from terrorist ideology and blind extremism, and that society would not be allowed to go down that path.

King Abdullah visits Karak

King Abdullah traveled to Karak hours after the shooting and visited a military hospital where victims were being treated. He said the perpetrators would be punished with an iron fist and face the harshest retaliation, adding that unity would prevail.

People also gathered at a Karak government hospital. Hani Al-Mbaydeen, who was among those at the hospital, said people were shocked and that the state must investigate the origins of the dark ideas behind the attack.

Security tightened and condemnation abroad

Security was increased at malls, embassies and other sites. The US embassy in Amman reported the heightened measures on Saturday.

UN secretary general António Guterres condemned the violence, saying attacks on civilians and places of worship are unacceptable. Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, called it a depraved and brutal attack on a house of worship.

A rare assault on a Christian minority

Christians form a minority in Jordan, and such attacks are rare in the relatively stable kingdom. Jordan is a leading US partner against militant Islamist groups, and Washington says it has repeatedly foiled attempted Islamist attacks in the country in recent years.