Seven Dead, 34 Wounded After Five-Minute Barrage at Jordan Church

Five minutes of continuous gunfire killed at least seven people and wounded 34 others at a Greek Orthodox church in southern Jordan on Friday. The attack occurred during a funeral in the village of Hammoud, located in the Karak governorate, roughly 110 miles south of the capital, Amman. Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya confirmed the casualty figures at a press conference, attributing the violence to a group of extremists. He described the incident as a rare assault on the Christian minority in the majority Sunni Muslim kingdom.

The public security directorate reported that the assailants exited a vehicle as a funeral procession took place. They stormed the church compound and opened fire immediately. Footage from the state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka showed three attackers in casual clothing. Two held pistols while the third carried a long gun. The men fired from a street-level entrance before advancing into the building.

An eyewitness speaking to Al-Mamlaka stated that the vehicle pulled up and the gunmen fired without pause for five minutes before escaping. The witness estimated that between 150 and 200 people were inside or near the church during the attack. Most of the victims were between 50 and 70 years old. A manhunt for the perpetrators is currently underway.

King Abdullah II reacted to the violence by promising the "harshest retaliation" against those responsible. He wrote on social media, "Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation." Mohammed Al-Momani, the Minister of Government Communications, added that security forces are actively investigating the attack.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the only Christian head of state in the Arab world, condemned the shooting as a "heinous terrorist attack." A presidency statement noted his assertion that the violence "reaffirms once again that terrorism has no religion and no homeland, and its aim is to strike at coexistence and spread strife."

Karak has experienced deadly violence previously. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in the area, including one at a Crusader castle popular with tourists. Ten people were killed in that incident, seven of whom were officers, and dozens were wounded. Jordanian security forces killed the attackers after a lengthy standoff.