At least seven people were killed and 34 others wounded when gunmen described as “Takfiri” opened fire during a funeral service at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan’s southern governorate of Karak.
A spokesperson for Jordan’s Public Security Directorate (PSD) confirmed the casualty toll following Friday’s attack on Hamoud Church.
The directorate said law enforcement agencies and investigators were working intensively to identify the suspects and establish the circumstances surrounding the attack.
A witness told Jordan's public broadcaster al-Mamlaka that a vehicle arrived carrying the gunmen, who fired continuously for five minutes before fleeing the scene.
Between 150 and 200 people were inside and around the church at the time of the attack, the witness added, noting that most of the victims were aged between 50 and 70.
An unnamed official source told the Roya News website that preliminary assessments suggested the attack was motivated by Takfiri ideology.
Jordan’s Minister of Government Communication and government spokesperson, Mohammad al-Momani, condemned the attack in Karak as a “painful, criminal and terrorist act,” as senior cabinet officials were dispatched to the scene.
Al-Momani said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, along with several other ministers, was on the ground in Karak to monitor developments, assess security implications and coordinate the government’s response.
Jordan's King Abdullah II stated that those responsible for the attack would face maximum legal penalties.
He also vowed to respond to the perpetrators with an “iron fist,” stressing that attempts to sow division among Jordanians would fail in the face of the nation’s unity.
Located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of the capital, Amman, Karak is home to a significant Christian community in predominantly Muslim Jordan.
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