Interior minister labels Karak church killers extremists

The gunfire lasted roughly 15 minutes, according to witnesses inside the building, before the attackers escaped in a pickup truck.

Seven people died and at least 34 others sustained injuries when gunmen struck a funeral service in Hmoud, a town in the Karak governorate of central Jordan, on Friday. Officials stated that the perpetrators arrived by car, entered the church, opened fire, and fled the scene. No individual or organization has claimed responsibility for the incident.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya addressed the press, referring to the suspects as a group of extremists. He described the event as painful and horrific, noting that it was unparalleled in the history of the Hashemite Kingdom. King Abdullah II responded by stating that authorities would confront the terrorist act with the harshest penalties. Early reports regarding the death toll varied, with a government spokesperson initially citing six fatalities before officials confirmed the final count of seven.

CCTV footage verified by the BBC shows three men approaching the church from a road. Two of the men enter what appears to be a vehicle entrance, retreat momentarily, and then return with a third individual. All three are seen carrying handguns. A separate video from the aftermath displays dead and wounded individuals on the ground in chaotic conditions.

Khalid al-Mdanat, a witness present at the church, told BBC Arabic that people attempted to flee while shots were still being fired. He reported that the gunmen exited through the main doors and drove away in a pickup truck, firing their weapons as they left. Another witness described the sound as if a war had started. A woman inside the church said the shooting began seconds after a prayer and continued to escalate for ten continuous minutes. Upon exiting, she observed bodies scattered in the courtyards.

Security forces closed roads near a hospital in Karak where the wounded were being treated, forcing commuters to park and walk. The area remained tense as families gathered to mourn. Some residents expressed frustration, calling the attack a failure to adopt a tougher approach toward terrorists. Karak maintains a large Christian community within the majority Muslim country, where such violence is infrequent despite previous deadly incidents.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the event as a heinous terrorist attack. He stated that the incident violated the sanctity of death and funeral mourners, contradicting all religious and humanitarian values, according to Lebanese media reports.