Jordan seeks three gunmen after eight killed in Karak church
King Abdullah II orders a security review and declares three days of mourning after the Friday attack on a Greek Orthodox village church.
By Tyler Khalil ·
Eight people died and 40 were wounded when three gunmen attacked a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud on Friday afternoon. The Ministry of Health confirmed the toll, noting that seven victims died at the scene and an eighth, a woman, succumbed to her injuries hours later. Twenty-seven of the wounded remain hospitalized, with one patient in critical condition following surgery at Prince Ali Military Hospital in Karak.
The violence began during a funeral service. Survivors reported hearing an explosion shortly after the ceremony started. Two attackers arrived in a vehicle, while a third man, carrying a semi-automatic rifle, joined them. The group entered the church and fired for several minutes. Nasser al-Burqan, a lawyer who survived the shooting, said one assailant stood approximately two meters away and fired a handgun at him. His son was shot in the leg and is currently receiving treatment in a hospital.
The attack has prompted immediate government action. King Abdullah II ordered a review of Jordan's security procedures for responding to terrorist incidents. He stated that those responsible would face the "harshest penalties" and sent condolences to the victims' families. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan declared three days of national mourning. Flags are flying at half-mast over government and public buildings in response to the event.
Security forces are actively searching for the three unidentified assailants. Interior Minister Mazin Al-Farrayeh attributed the attack to a group of "extremists" but did not name a specific organization. The prime minister described the incident as a product of terrorist ideology and "blind extremism." The motive for the attack remains unclear to authorities. State broadcaster Al-Mamlaka aired security camera footage showing the men firing outside the church and shooting at a group of men attempting to flee.
The village of Hamoud is located in Karak governorate, approximately 120 kilometers south of Amman. The region is home to a substantial portion of Jordan's roughly 300,000 Christian population. The country has a total population of 11.5 million. Taylor Luck, a senior Middle East correspondent, noted that local Christians and Muslims have lived side by side in Karak for generations. He observed that the community is likely to emerge stronger if the attack was intended to divide them.
International leaders have responded to the tragedy. Condemnations have been issued by Azerbaijan, Iraq, Poland, Palestine, and Qatar. Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar in Cairo, labeled the incident a "heinous terrorist attack." The United States embassy in Jordan also offered condolences to the survivors. While such attacks are rare in the kingdom, Karak experienced violence in 2016 when ISIL carried out several assaults, including a siege on a castle that killed 10 people.
