Three Gunmen Open Fire at Jordan Church Funeral, Leaving Seven Dead

Security footage shows three armed men approaching a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan's southern governorate of Karak and opening fire during a funeral on Friday. The attack left at least seven people dead and wounded 40 others. Two of the men appeared to carry handguns while a third had a semiautomatic rifle. All three ran toward the church entrance after firing from the pavement and taking cover behind trees and a low wall. Reuters verified the footage using features around the entrance, though it did not confirm the total number of people involved in the attack. A social media video also prompted claims that one attacker experienced a weapon malfunction and did not participate, but authorities have not verified this claim.

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Mourner Dorgham Halasa told the Associated Press that heavy gunfire started about 15 minutes after the funeral began, causing people to run away. Another witness, Khaled Burqan, said the gunmen fired for several minutes while crowds gathered inside and outside the building. Jordanian authorities called the act a terrorist attack carried out by extremists. Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh stated it was too early to know if the attackers had links to domestic or foreign groups. King Abdullah II condemned the shooting and promised strict penalties for those responsible. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said the attack showed extremist ideology and pledged action. Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour noted that two of the wounded people were in critical condition, and the country declared three days of national mourning.

Context

Karak is a region in Jordan with a minority Christian population and was previously the site of deadly attacks in 2016 involving gunmen and a tourist castle. Jordanian authorities continue to investigate the shooting, and the identities and exact motives of the attackers remain unconfirmed.