Gunmen Kill Seven at Jordan Funeral

Three armed men opened fire on mourners gathered for a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak on Friday. The attack killed seven people and wounded 40, according to Jordanian authorities. The town lies approximately 90 kilometers south of the capital, Amman.

State television footage captured the approach of the gunmen. Two men carrying pistols walked toward the building and fired first. A third man, holding a semiautomatic rifle, followed and shot as well. All three then rushed into the church. Witness videos show broken glass and blood on the floor inside.

Dorgham Halasa, a mourner present at the service, described the scene. He said heavy gunfire erupted about 15 minutes after the ceremony began, causing the crowd to run. "It was a weird situation, and heavy gunfire," Halasa stated. While he did not see the attackers, others told him they spotted four individuals. Security services have not yet confirmed the exact number of assailants.

The government released a statement saying the attack was carried out by unknown assailants. Officials noted that investigations are proceeding at full speed but did not specify if any shooters had been captured or killed. Jordan has declared three days of national mourning in response to the violence.

Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour reported that two of the injured are in critical condition. King Abdullah II posted on social media that the country will confront the act with the harshest penalties. He sent condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the wounded a speedy recovery.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan spoke at a security meeting in Karak that evening. He characterized the attack as the result of terrorist ideology and blind extremism. He pledged that the attackers would be punished and that legal measures would be taken against those seeking to introduce extremism. The town of Karak has a minority Christian population and experienced deadly violence in 2016 when gunmen ambushed police near a Crusader castle.

Regional leaders and international bodies have condemned the shooting. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the attack especially heinous because it occurred during a funeral. His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said the secretary-general called for those responsible to be found and held to account. Condemnations also arrived from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Oman. The grand imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, labeled the shooting a heinous terrorist attack. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein phoned his Jordanian counterpart to affirm solidarity.