Jordanian Gunmen Kill Seven During Church Funeral

At least seven people died and 34 others suffered injuries when armed men opened fire on a church congregation in southern Jordan on Friday. The attack occurred in the village of Hammoud, located in Karak governorate, during a funeral procession. Authorities described the incident as a rare violent assault on Christians in the majority Sunni Muslim kingdom.

Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya addressed the press to confirm the casualty figures. He attributed the shooting to a group of extremists. The public security directorate detailed the sequence of events, stating that the assailants stormed the compound of a Greek Orthodox church. According to the directorate, the gunmen exited a vehicle while the funeral procession was underway and began firing immediately.

State broadcaster Al-Mamlaka aired footage of the attack. The video shows two men in casual clothing holding pistols and a third individual carrying a long gun. The group fired from a street-level entrance before advancing into the compound. A manhunt for the perpetrators is currently underway.

An eyewitness speaking to Al-Mamlaka described the duration and intensity of the assault. The witness stated that the vehicle carrying the attackers pulled up to the site and the gunmen fired without pause for five minutes before escaping. The witness estimated that between 150 and 200 people were inside or around the church at the time. Most of the victims were reported to be between 50 and 70 years old.

Karak lies 110 miles south of the capital, Amman, and maintains a notable Christian population. Minister of Government Communications Mohammed Al-Momani said security forces are investigating the attack. King Abdullah II pledged a strong response to those responsible. He posted on social media that every Jordanian life is precious and that the nation would strike with an iron fist against those who threaten it.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the only Christian head of state in the Arab world, condemned the shooting. A statement from the presidency called the incident a heinous terrorist attack. Aoun said the event reaffirms that terrorism has no religion or homeland and aims to strike at coexistence. Karak has experienced deadly violence in the past, including a 2016 ambush on police near a Crusader castle that left ten people dead.