Gunmen Storm Jordan Church Funeral, Leaving Seven Dead

Gunmen attacked a funeral gathering inside a church in Hmoud, in Jordan's Karak governorate, on Friday, killing seven people and wounding at least 34 others, officials said. The assailants arrived by car, entered the building, opened fire and then left. No group or individual has claimed responsibility.

Security camera footage shows three armed men approaching the church from a road. Two walked toward a vehicle entrance, briefly retreated, and returned with a third man. All three carried handguns. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya, speaking at a news conference, said authorities were pursuing a "group of extremists" and called the incident "painful and horrific." King Abdullah II said the state would "confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties." Death tolls varied in early reporting, moving from seven to six and then back to seven.

Witnesses inside the church described people diving beneath pews and moving away from windows as gunfire continued. Khalid al-Mdanat, who was present, told BBC Arabic that the assault lasted about 15 minutes, with "people trying to flee while the shooting was still active." He said the attackers exited through the church doors and fled in a pickup truck, "firing as they went." Another person inside said shots began seconds after a prayer and that the situation "continued to escalate for 10 continuous minutes." When she reached the courtyard, she said, "bodies were all in the courtyards."

Karak hospital entrances saw heavy security presence and nearby roads closed, requiring visitors to park and walk. King Abdullah II visited the wounded as security tightened further. Some residents voiced frustration at what they called "a failure to take a tougher approach towards terrorists." Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun condemned the incident as a "heinous terrorist attack," saying it "violated the sanctity of death and funeral mourners."

Jordan has a sizeable Christian community within a majority Muslim population, and such violence is uncommon in the country. Deadly attacks have occurred there in the past.