Nine Dead in Rare Gun Attack on Jordan Church
Gunmen killed nine people and wounded 40 at a Greek Orthodox funeral in Karak governorate, prompting a nationwide security review.
By Layla Fontaine ·
Nine people died and 40 others suffered injuries when armed men opened fire at a funeral service at St George's Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud, Jordan, on Friday. The incident marks a rare instance of violence targeting the country's Christian population. Authorities have designated the event a terrorist act.
The shooting occurred in Karak governorate. Maj. Gen. Abdallah al-Maaytah, head of the Public Security Directorate, confirmed that most of the wounded were receiving medical attention. He stated that a search for the gunmen was ongoing. Health Minister confirmed the injury count stood at 40.
Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh attributed the attack to extremists. He noted that it was too early to determine if the group had connections to known organizations inside or outside Jordan. No entity had claimed responsibility for the violence by the time of reporting.
State television aired footage from a security camera at the church. The video showed three individuals firing toward the building from a pavement area. They sheltered behind trees and a low wall before running toward the entrance. Reuters verified the clip by matching the entry path and surrounding structural details.
Witnesses described the scene as chaotic. Priest Theodoros Soueiss said he and others instructed the crowd to get down. He stated, "A sense of panic took hold among those present," and noted the gunfire was indiscriminate. Khaled Burqan, a funeral attendee, said the gunmen fired for several minutes. Ihab Ammareen described seeing bloodied people collapse on the floor and hearing people scream.
Prime Minister Jafar Hassan wrote on X that the attack resulted from a terrorist ideology. He said the government would not allow society to follow that path. King Abdullah visited Karak within hours of the shooting. He promised the perpetrators would be punished with an iron fist and said those trying to divide Jordanians with bullets had no chance against national unity.
The U.S. embassy in Amman announced on Saturday that security had been increased at malls, foreign embassies, and other sites across the country. UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the violence. Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, called the event a depraved and brutal attack on a house of worship.
Jordan has maintained relative stability, though U.S. authorities reported foiling multiple attempted attacks by Islamist militants in recent years. The country was among U.S. allies in the region struck by Iranian attacks this year following strikes on Iran in February. Hani Al-Mbaydeen, who stood outside a government hospital in Karak, said the state must investigate how dark ideas enter the minds of the nation's children.
