Karak Church Shooting Leaves Seven Dead, Forty Wounded
Three men opened fire during a Greek Orthodox funeral in southern Jordan, prompting national mourning and a royal vow of harsh penalties.
By Aiko Soto ·
Seven people died and forty were wounded after gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak on Friday. The town lies approximately 55 miles south of the capital, Amman.
State television footage shows two men carrying pistols walking toward the church and firing. A third man, holding a semiautomatic rifle, then emerges to shoot before all three run toward the building. Witness videos captured shattered glass and blood on the church floor. Dorgham Halasa, a mourner inside, reported that intense gunfire began about fifteen minutes after the service started. He noted that others told him they had spotted four attackers, though security services have not confirmed the total number of assailants.
The government stated the attack was carried out by unknown assailants and that investigations are proceeding at full speed. Authorities declared three days of national mourning. Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour reported that two of the wounded remain in critical condition.
King Abdullah II wrote on X that Jordan will confront the terrorist act with the harshest penalties. He offered condolences to the families of the martyrs and wished recovery to the wounded. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, speaking at a security meeting in Karak on Friday evening, described the attack as the product of terrorist ideology and blind extremism. He said legal measures would be taken against those who seek to introduce extremism.
Karak has a minority Christian population and has experienced deadly violence in the past. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in the town, including at a Crusader castle. Ten people were killed in that incident, seven of them officers. Security forces killed the gunmen after a long standoff.
Regional leaders and international figures condemned the shooting. Ahmed al-Tayeb, grand imam of Al-Azhar, called the event a heinous terrorist attack. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein phoned his Jordanian counterpart to affirm 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 those responsible to be found and held to account.
