Three Men Fire on Funeral in Jordan, Killing Seven

Gunmen stormed a funeral service at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak on Friday, killing seven people and wounding 40 others. The town lies roughly 90 kilometers south of the capital, Amman. Jordanian state television broadcast footage of the assault, showing two armed men walking toward the building and firing pistols. A third man, carrying a semiautomatic rifle, followed them and also opened fire before all three entered the church.

Witnesses described the chaos inside the building. Dorgham Halasa, one of the mourners, said heavy gunfire erupted about 15 minutes after the service began, causing people to run. He stated that others told him they had spotted four attackers, though he did not see them himself. The Associated Press could not independently verify the exact number of assailants, and Jordanian security services did not immediately confirm those details.

The government described the perpetrators as unknown assailants in a statement. Officials said investigations were proceeding at full speed but did not indicate whether any gunmen had been captured or killed. Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour reported that two of the wounded are in critical condition. The Petra News Agency announced that the kingdom has declared three days of national mourning.

King Abdullah II addressed the incident on X, vowing that Jordan would confront the terrorist act with the harshest penalties. He offered condolences to the families of the martyrs and wished the wounded a recovery. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, speaking at a security meeting in Karak that evening, labeled the attack the product of terrorist ideology and blind extremism. He said legal measures would be taken against those seeking to introduce extremism.

Karak has a history of violence affecting its minority Christian population. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in the town, including at a Crusader castle. Ten people died in that incident, seven of them officers. Security forces eventually killed the gunmen after a long standoff.

Regional leaders and international figures offered swift condemnation. Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, called the shooting a heinous terrorist attack. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein phoned his Jordanian counterpart to affirm solidarity. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the attack especially heinous because it occurred during a funeral. His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said Guterres also called for all those responsible to be found and held to account.