Karak Church Attack: Seven Dead and 40 Injured in Funeral Shooting

Seven people died and 40 others were wounded when gunmen attacked a funeral service at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak on Friday. The town sits roughly 90 kilometers south of Amman. Jordanian state television broadcast video of the incident, showing two men with pistols approaching the building and firing before a third man with a semiautomatic rifle joined the assault. All three then rushed toward the church entrance. Witness footage captured shattered glass and blood on the floor inside the sanctuary.

Dorgham Halasa, a mourner present during the service, said heavy gunfire erupted about 15 minutes after the funeral began. He described the scene as chaotic and reported that other attendees claimed to have seen four assailants. The Associated Press could not independently verify the number of attackers, and Jordan's security services did not immediately release details on the count of shooters or their status.

The Jordanian government stated the attack was carried out by unknown assailants. Officials said investigations were proceeding at full speed but did not confirm whether any suspects had been captured or killed. The Petra News Agency reported that the kingdom declared three days of national mourning. Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour noted that two of the wounded patients are in critical condition.

King Abdullah II posted on X that Jordan would confront the terrorist act with the harshest penalties. He offered condolences to the families of the dead and wished recovery for the injured. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan addressed a security meeting in Karak on Friday evening. He characterized the attack as the result of terrorist ideology and blind extremism. Hassan stated that legal measures would be taken against those seeking to introduce extremism.

Karak has a minority Christian population and has experienced deadly violence in the past. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in the town, including at a Crusader castle, killing ten people and wounding dozens. Security forces resolved that standoff after a prolonged confrontation.

Regional leaders 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 express solidarity. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the attack as especially heinous because it occurred during a funeral. His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said Guterres called for all responsible parties to be found and held to account.

The government did not specify the motive for the shooting beyond the description of it as a terrorist act. The security meeting in Karak concluded with assurances that legal proceedings would follow the investigation.