Several killed, dozens wounded in Jordan church shooting

The Hamoud Greek Orthodox Church in Karak became the scene of a deadly shooting on Friday. Gunmen opened fire during a funeral, killing seven people and wounding 34 others. The attack was unusual because it targeted Jordan’s Christian minority in a country that has generally experienced fewer such attacks than some nearby countries.

Security-camera footage shown by Al-Mamlaka appeared to show three attackers firing from a sidewalk. They hid behind trees and a low wall before running toward the church entrance. Witnesses said dozens of people were attending the funeral, and the gunmen fired for several minutes.

Most wounded people were still receiving treatment after the attack. Authorities continued searching for the attackers, while the interior minister called them extremists. No group had claimed responsibility, and officials said it was too early to know whether the assailants had links to known groups inside or outside Jordan.

Karak is a governorate, or administrative area, in central Jordan. The church was identified as Hamoud Church, a Greek Orthodox church in the Karak directorate. The location matters because Karak has also experienced serious violence before, including attacks in 2016 that killed 10 people.

The funeral brought dozens of people together inside the church. Khaled Burqan, who attended, said gunmen opened fire on the mourners for several minutes. A security video appeared to show three people shooting from a sidewalk before moving toward the entrance. This gathering made many people present in one place.

The article does not explain why this particular funeral was selected. It reports only that the attack happened during the ceremony and that authorities described the assailants as extremists. Investigators were still searching for them and had not established whether they belonged to a known organization.

Authorities reported seven deaths and 34 injuries after the shooting. Most of the wounded were still receiving treatment when officials spoke. The toll shows that the attack caused extensive harm inside a place where people had gathered for a funeral.

The article says dozens of people were present. Khaled Burqan, who was at the funeral, said the gunmen fired at them for several minutes. Another witness, Ihab Ammareen, described seeing bloodied people collapse and hearing people cry, wail, and scream. These accounts convey the attack’s immediate impact without identifying the victims.

No further information is provided about who was attending, such as their ages, occupations, or relationship to the deceased person being mourned. The report also does not give a breakdown of those killed or wounded. Authorities were still investigating, so the reported figures and descriptions reflect the information available at that time.

A Greek Orthodox church belongs to the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition and serves its worshipping community. “Christian minority” means Christians make up a smaller share of Jordan’s population than the country’s larger religious community. The article highlights the attack as rare because it struck a Christian site.

The shooting happened at Hamoud Church during a funeral. That setting placed mourners inside or near a religious building when gunmen opened fire. The report says a security camera appeared to show three attackers firing from outside, hiding behind trees and a low wall, then running toward the entrance.

The article does not provide population figures or describe Jordan’s Christian communities in detail. It does show the political significance of the attack: King Abdullah II called it a terrorist act and promised the harshest penalties. Authorities were investigating whether the extremists had links to known groups, but no organization had claimed responsibility.

The attackers were not identified by name. Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh said extremists carried out the attack, while security footage appeared to show three people firing at the church. The footage showed them using a sidewalk, trees, and a low wall before moving toward the entrance.

Authorities had not connected the gunmen to a specific organization. Al Farrayeh said it was too early to determine whether they had links to known groups inside or outside Jordan. There was also no immediate claim of responsibility, leaving investigators without a public statement explaining the motive or affiliation.

The hunt for the attackers was still ongoing after the shooting. That meant officials were working with incomplete evidence, even though the video and witness accounts offered important leads. Until suspects were identified and questioned, authorities could not reliably establish who planned the attack, why it was chosen, or whether a wider network was involved.

The immediate consequence was medical care for the 34 wounded people. Major General Abdallah al-Maaytah said most were still receiving treatment after the shooting. Witness accounts described severe injuries and panic among mourners, showing why emergency care remained a central response.

At the same time, security forces continued hunting the attackers. Officials examined security-camera footage that appeared to show three gunmen and considered whether they had links to known groups. The interior minister said the assailants were extremists, but authorities had not confirmed an organization or received a claim of responsibility.

Jordan’s political response was also forceful. King Abdullah II said the country would confront the terrorist act with the harshest penalties. The article does not report arrests, charges, or a completed investigation. Its final picture is therefore of ongoing treatment, an active search, and a security response whose next steps depended on identifying the attackers.

Earlier violence in Karak places the church shooting in a broader local history. In 2016, gunmen carried out a series of attacks in the area, including an ambush on police and an assault near a Crusader castle popular with tourists. Ten people were killed, including seven officers, and dozens were wounded.

Jordanian security forces killed the 2016 gunmen after a long standoff. This example shows the scale of earlier violence and the state’s use of armed security operations to end an attack. It also explains why the latest shooting prompted an immediate hunt for suspects and a strong warning from the king.

The two incidents are not presented as directly connected. The current attackers had not been identified, and no group had claimed responsibility. Still, the history means Karak is not new to political violence. The ongoing investigation would determine whether the church shooting involved a known network or a separate extremist cell.