Three Gunmen Breach Karak Church

Seven mourners died and 34 others suffered injuries during a shooting at a church in Hmoud, located in the Karak governorate of central Jordan, on Friday.

The incident followed a specific sequence of events that unfolded over the course of the funeral service. Unidentified assailants arrived in a car, entered the building, and opened fire before fleeing the scene. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya labeled the perpetrators a group of extremists and described the event as painful and horrific. He noted that the attack was unparalleled in the history of the Hashemite Kingdom. King Abdullah II stated that authorities would confront the terrorist act with the harshest penalties. Initial reports of the death toll fluctuated, with officials first citing seven victims, then six, before confirming the final figure of seven.

Footage verified by the BBC shows three men approaching the church from a road. Two of the men enter what appears to be a vehicle entrance, retreat briefly, and return with a third man. All three are carrying handguns. Other video from the aftermath shows dead and wounded individuals on the ground. Witnesses inside described a scene of panic as people threw themselves under pews and moved away from windows. Khalid al-Mdanat, who was present, said the attack lasted about 15 minutes. He reported that people tried to flee while gunfire was still active. The gunmen exited through the church doors and escaped in a pickup truck while firing. Another witness described the sound as if a war had started. A woman inside said the gunfire began seconds after a prayer and continued to escalate for ten continuous minutes. Upon exiting, she observed bodies in the courtyards.

Security forces established a heavy presence at the hospital in Karak where the wounded were being treated. Roads near the facility were closed, forcing visitors to park their vehicles and walk to the entrance. Authorities tightened security measures further ahead of King Abdullah II's visit to see the injured patients. The atmosphere at the hospital was tense, marked by crying and shouting as families mourned their losses. Many residents expressed shock, fear, and anger at the attack. Some voiced frustration over what they considered a lack of tougher measures against terrorists in the past. Karak is home to a sizeable Christian community in a country that is majority Muslim. While such violence is rare in Jordan, deadly attacks have occurred previously. Joseph Aoun, the Christian president of Lebanon, condemned the event as a heinous terrorist attack. He said the incident violated the sanctity of death and contradicted all religious and humanitarian values.