Mourning in Jordan as Manhunt Enters Second Day for Church Gunmen

Jordan began three days of mourning on Saturday after gunmen attacked a Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate.

The assault took place Friday afternoon during a funeral service at a church in the village of Hamoud. Survivors reported hearing an explosion shortly after the service started. Two attackers arrived by vehicle, and a third man joined them carrying a semi-automatic rifle. The three entered the church and fired for several minutes.

Nasser al-Burqan, a lawyer who survived, told Reuters that one attacker stood roughly two metres from him and fired a handgun. His son, who was also inside, later called to report he had been shot in the leg and was receiving hospital treatment. Tarek Ammarin, who was visiting an injured relative, described the event as "a massacre in every sense of the word".

Petra, Jordan's state news agency, reported that seven people died at the scene. An eighth victim, a woman, died of her injuries hours later. Of the 40 people wounded, 27 remained hospitalized on Saturday. The director of Prince Ali Military Hospital in Karak stated that one patient was in critical condition following surgery. King Abdullah II offered condolences to the victims' families, said those responsible would face the "harshest penalties", and ordered a review of national security procedures for responding to terrorist attacks. Interior Minister Mazin Al-Farrayeh attributed the assault to a group of "extremists" without naming an organization. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan declared the three-day mourning period, with flags lowered over government and public buildings.

Authorities have not identified the attackers, referring to them in government statements as "unknown assailants". The motive for the attack remains unclear. Security camera footage broadcast by the state channel Al-Mamlaka depicts three people firing outside the church before entering, as well as shooting at a group of men attempting to flee. Karak governorate lies about 120km south of Amman and houses many of Jordan's roughly 300,000 Christians within a total population of 11.5 million. Attacks of this nature are uncommon in the country. In 2016, ISIL carried out a series of attacks across the area, including a siege on a Crusader-era castle that killed 10 people, among them a Canadian tourist and seven police officers.

Condemnations arrived from several countries, including Azerbaijan, Iraq, Poland, Palestine and Qatar. Ahmed al-Tayeb, grand imam of Cairo's Al-Azhar, called it a "heinous terrorist attack", and the United States embassy in Jordan offered condolences to victims and survivors.