Gunmen Kill Seven at Central Jordan Funeral

Seven mourners lost their lives and at least 34 others sustained injuries when gunmen opened fire on a funeral service in Hmoud, central Jordan, on Friday. The attack forced congregants to take cover under pews and away from windows while gunfire echoed through the church building. Witnesses described a chaotic scene where individuals fled while shots continued to be discharged.

Khalid al-Mdanat, a witness present at the church, told BBC Arabic that the exchange of fire lasted approximately 15 minutes. He stated that the attackers exited through the main doors and departed in a pickup truck, continuing to shoot as they drove away. Another resident described the initial sound of the guns as resembling the start of a war, while a woman inside the building reported that the intensity of the shooting persisted for ten continuous minutes.

The incident unfolded in the Karak governorate, a region with a notable Christian community within Jordan's majority Muslim population. While violence is rare in the country, it has occurred in previous years. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya identified the perpetrators as a "group of extremists" during a press briefing. He characterized the event as "painful and horrific" and described it as "unparalleled in the history of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan." Officials stated that authorities were actively working to arrest the individuals responsible.

King Abdullah II addressed the attack by directing authorities to "confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties." Early reports on the death toll varied, with a government spokesperson initially citing six fatalities before officials confirmed the final count at seven. No group or individual has formally claimed responsibility for the assault.

Verified CCTV footage shows three armed men approaching the church from a road. Two of the individuals entered a vehicle entrance, retreated briefly, and then returned with the third man. All three appeared to be carrying handguns. Separate footage from the aftermath depicts dead and wounded individuals lying on the ground in the church courtyards.

Security forces established a heavy perimeter around the hospital in Karak treating the injured, closing nearby roads and forcing vehicles to park away from the site. Residents expressed shock and anger, with some citing frustration over what they perceived as a lack of tougher measures against terrorists. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun condemned the event as a "heinous terrorist attack" that "violated the sanctity of death and funeral mourners," according to Lebanese media reports.

The royal visit to the injured was scheduled to follow the tightening of security measures in the area. Families of the victims gathered at the hospital entrance, where crying and shouting marked the tense atmosphere. The attack concluded with the gunmen fleeing the scene, leaving behind a community grappling with the sudden loss of life.