Gunmen Kill Seven at Greek Orthodox Church Funeral in Karak, Jordan

Armed men opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of the capital, Amman, on Friday, killing seven people and wounding 40 others, authorities said.

Jordan declared three days of national mourning, according to the kingdom’s Petra news agency, a time of comfort for the bereaved (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Images broadcast on Jordanian state television show two men with pistols approaching the church and shooting. A third man then appears, apparently holding a semi-automatic rifle, and also opens fire before the three run toward the church.

The government said the event was “perpetrated by unknown assailants,” but did not reveal whether any of them had been captured or killed. It said that “investigations are underway at full speed.” Jordan’s Health Minister, Ibrahim al-Budour, reported that two of the wounded are in critical condition.

King Abdullah II said on X that Jordan “will face the terrorist act against Karak with the harshest penalties,” and he offered his “deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs” and his wishes for recovery to the wounded.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said during a security meeting in Karak on Friday night that the attack was the result of terrorist ideology and blind extremism. He said the aggressors will be punished and that legal measures will be taken against those seeking to introduce extremism.

Condemnations came from across the region, including Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Oman. Ahmed al-Tayeb, grand imam of Al-Azhar in Cairo, the main religious institution in the Sunni Muslim world, offered condolences to the families of the victims and called the shooting an “atrocious terrorist attack.” Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein called his Jordanian counterpart and “affirmed Iraq’s solidarity with Jordan in the face of terrorism,” according to a statement from Hussein’s office.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack during a funeral as “especially heinous,” said his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric. “The Secretary-General also calls for all those responsible to be found and held accountable.”

In 2016, armed men ambushed police in a series of attacks in Jordan, including one at a popular cross castle among tourists. Those attacks left 10 dead, including seven officers, and dozens wounded. Jordanian security forces struck the attackers after a prolonged confrontation.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)