Nine killed, 40 wounded in shooting at Jordan church funeral

Nine people died and 40 others were wounded when three gunmen opened fire at a funeral in the Jordanian city of Karak on Friday. The attack targeted St George's Greek Orthodox church in the Hamoud district. It is a rare incident in which the country's small Christian population was struck directly.

Maj gen Abdallah al-Maaytah, the head of the Public Security Directorate, confirmed that most of the injured were being treated in hospitals. He stated that security forces were still searching for the attackers. Mazin Al Farrayeh, the interior minister, labeled the incident a terrorist act committed by extremists. He noted that it was too early to determine if the shooters had links to known groups inside or outside Jordan. No group has formally claimed responsibility for the shooting.

Footage broadcast on state television Al-Mamlaka showed the three suspects firing from a pavement outside the building. They used trees and a low wall for cover before running toward the church entrance. Reuters verified the video by comparing the entry path and surrounding structures. The clip captured the chaotic moments as bullets flew into the crowd.

Witnesses described a scene of panic and confusion. Priest Theodoros Soueiss told attendees to get on the ground to avoid stray bullets. He said, "A sense of panic took hold among those present. The gunfire was indiscriminate, and you never knew where a bullet might land." Khaled Burqan, a funeral attendee, said the shooters fired for several minutes. Ihab Ammareen described seeing people collapse in blood, adding that the sounds of crying and screaming were overwhelming.

Prime minister Jafar Hassan responded on social media by calling the attack a result of terrorist ideology and blind extremism. He vowed that society would not follow that path. King Abdullah visited Karak within hours of the shooting. He promised the perpetrators would be punished with an iron fist. He told the public that those trying to divide Jordanians with bullets had no chance against national unity.

The US embassy in Amman announced on Saturday that security had been increased at malls, embassies, and other key locations across the country. This follows the recent surge in regional tensions after US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Jordan was among the allies hit by Iranian attacks earlier this year. The US has repeatedly foiled attempts by Islamist militants to stage attacks in the region in recent years.

International leaders quickly condemned the violence. UN secretary general António Guterres called attacks on places of worship unacceptable. Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, described the incident as a depraved and brutal attack. In Karak, families gathered outside the government hospital to support the wounded.

Hani Al-Mbaydeen, standing outside the hospital, voiced the shock felt by many locals. He urged the state to investigate where such dark ideas originate and how they enter the minds of children. The search for the three gunmen continued into Saturday.