At least seven people were killed and 34 wounded when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan’s southern Karak Governorate on Friday, according to a later Associated Press report citing
authorities.
The attack took place at a church in or near Hamoud village, about 180 km south of the capital, Amman. The casualty figure remained fluid as authorities released updates.
Jordan’s official Petra news agency earlier reported that the Public Security Directorate had confirmed six deaths
and 28 injuries.
The Associated Press subsequently reported a higher toll of seven dead and
34 wounded. Maj. Gen. Obeidallah Maaytah, Jordan’s director of public security, said 27 of the wounded were still receiving treatment.
What happened
The shooting occurred while a funeral service was under way at a Greek Orthodox church, according to the Public Security Directorate and reports carried by international news organisations.
CBS News, citing the directorate, reported that two assailants entered the
compound of a Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud before opening fire.
The images broadcast on Jordanian state television and described by the Associated Press appeared to show two men carrying pistols approaching the church and firing.
A third man, apparently carrying a semiautomatic rifle, then appeared and also opened fire before the three ran towards the church, the AP reported.
The account could not independently
establish the identities or motives of the attackers. Jordanian authorities initially described the assailants as unknown.
The government said investigations were proceeding at full speed, but officials had not publicly identified suspects or said whether anyone had been arrested or killed.
No claim of responsibility had been reported in the available official and international accounts.
Investigation and information restrictions
The Public Security Directorate said the investigation was continuing and that findings would be announced as they became available, Petra reported.
Authorities also warned against the circulation of unverified information about the incident.
Amman Prosecutor General Hassan Al-Abdallat issued a gag order covering the investigation into the incident near Hamoud Church.
The order bars audiovisual, print and
digital media outlets, as well as social- media platforms, from the publishing information about the case or the course of the investigation, including photographs and video, under provisions cited from Jordan’s Publications and Publishing Law and Penal Code.
Official government media supervised by the Ministry of Government Communication were exempted.
The restrictions mean that details about the attackers, the precise sequence of events, and the possible motive remain unconfirmed.
Early reporting also varied on whether the shooting was inside the church or in its immediate compound; the consistent point across the accounts is that gunfire struck people attending a funeral at a Greek Orthodox place of worship in the Karak area.
National and international response
King Abdullah II said Jordan would confront what he called the terrorist act targeting Karak with the harshest penalties.
He offered condolences to the victims’ families and wished the wounded a rapid recovery, according to the AP.
The European Union condemned what it described as a “cruel attack” on a church in Karak and said its thoughts were with the victims and their families.
In a statement issued on October 23, the EU expressed solidarity with Jordan’s people and government and offered full support for the ongoing security investigation.
Condemnations also came from regional governments and religious leaders. The AP reported statements of solidarity from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Oman.
Ahmed al-Tayeb, grand imam of Cairo’s Al-Azhar, described the incident as a heinous terrorist attack and offered condolences to the families of those killed.
Iraq’s foreign minister also affirmed
Baghdad’s solidarity with Jordan, according to the AP.
Context
Karak has a longstanding Christian community and is home to religious sites and communities that form part of Jordan’s pluralistic social and cultural history. Christians are a minority in the predominantly Muslim kingdom.
The attack also recalled earlier violence in Karak. In 2016, gunmen carried out a series of attacks in the governorate, including an assault near the city’s Crusader castle, killing 10 people, seven of them police officers, and wounding dozens.
Jordanian security forces later killed the attackers after a standoff. The available reports did not establish any connection
between that episode and Friday’s shooting.
As of the latest reports, the investigation remained active, the identity and motive of the attackers had not been publicly established, and the death and injury totals were still subject to official revision.
