Seven people were killed and 40 others injured on Friday when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate, southern Jordan. Authorities have classified the assault on the country's Christian minority as a terrorist act carried out by extremists.
According to Major General Abdallah al-Maaytah the head of Jordan’s Public Security Directorate, security forces have launched a manhunt for the attackers. State television footage showed armed individuals firing at the building before rushing toward the entrance. Witness accounts described panic, shattered glass and bloodstains near the entryway as gunfire lasted for several minutes. Health officials confirmed that two of the injured remain in critical condition.
No group has claimed responsibility and Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh noted it is too early to determine if the perpetrators have links to established domestic or international militant groups.
King Abdullah II visited Karak hours after the incident also vowing to punish the perpetrators with an "iron fist" and stressing national unity. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan condemned the violence, attributing it to blind extremism while Jordan announced three days of national mourning.
The rare attack in the usually stable nation drew strong international condemnation from the United Nations, the United States and regional leaders and Cairo’s Al-Azhar institution. Security remains heightened near the church as investigations continue.
