Jordan Church Attack: Five Minutes of Gunfire Kills Seven in Karak

Seven people died and 34 were wounded when gunmen opened fire on a funeral procession at a Greek Orthodox church in southern Jordan on Friday. The assault occurred in the village of Hammoud, located in Karak governorate, roughly 110 miles south of the capital, Amman.

Authorities described the event as a rare targeted attack on the country's Christian minority. Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya stated at a press conference that a group of extremists was responsible for the violence. The public security directorate reported that the assailants stormed the church compound before beginning their barrage.

According to the directorate, the attackers emerged from a vehicle during the funeral rites. State broadcaster Al-Mamlaka aired footage showing two men in casual clothing holding pistols and a third carrying a long gun. The video captures the group firing from a street-level entrance before moving forward into the compound.

An eyewitness who spoke to Al-Mamlaka said 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 present in and around the church at the time. Most of the victims were reported to be between 50 and 70 years old.

King Abdullah II pledged the "harshest retaliation" against those responsible for the attack. In a social media post, the King said, "Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation." Minister of Government Communications Mohammed Al-Momani confirmed that security forces are investigating the incident.

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 that his remarks reaffirmed that terrorism has no religion or homeland and aims to strike at coexistence.

The Karak region has experienced deadly violence in the past. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in the area, including at a Crusader castle. Ten people were killed in that incident, seven of them officers, and dozens were wounded. Security forces killed the attackers after a lengthy standoff.