Jordan church attack kills 7 during funeral; wounded toll rises to 40

Gunmen attacked a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral in southern Jordan on Friday, October 23, killing seven people and wounding 40, according to the country’s health minister. Security forces were searching for the attackers.

The shooting took place at Hamoud Church in a village in Karak governorate, about 110 miles south of Amman. Jordanian officials called it a terrorist attack, but had not publicly identified the gunmen or established a link to any organization.

Gunmen opened fire as mourners gathered

The attackers arrived in a vehicle and opened fire as people gathered for the funeral, Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said. Footage broadcast by Jordanian state television showed three armed men firing toward the church before running toward its entrance.

Witnesses described several minutes of gunfire and people fleeing inside the church. One mourner told state television that roughly 150 to 200 people were in and around the building at the time.

Jordan’s public security chief initially reported seven dead and 34 wounded. Later on Friday, Health Minister Ibrahim Bdour raised the number of injured to 40 after hospitals accounted for more patients. He said two of the wounded were in critical condition and undergoing surgery.

Hospitals in Karak treated the injured, and some patients were transferred to King Hussein Medical City for further care. The Jordanian military said a helicopter was used to move eight patients from Prince Ali bin Al Hussein Military Hospital.

Authorities pursue attackers

Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya described the assailants as extremists. Jordanian officials had not publicly established their identities or said whether they belonged to a known militant group. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

King Abdullah II visited Karak after the shooting and promised that those responsible would face severe penalties. The government declared three days of national mourning, while Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said the attack would not divide Jordanians.

Jordan’s grand mufti, Ahmad Al-Hassanat, condemned the killing and said Christian lives must be protected. Leaders elsewhere in the region and the United Nations also denounced the attack on people attending a funeral.

Christians are a minority in predominantly Muslim Jordan, and Karak is home to an established Christian community. The attack has left families awaiting news of the wounded while investigators work to find the gunmen and determine why the church was targeted.