8 dead, 40 wounded: Jordan hunts gunmen after Karak church funeral attack
Jordan's King Abdullah ordered a firm response after gunmen fired during a funeral, leading to a national security sweep.
By Christopher Singh ·
Eight people died and 40 were wounded in a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate on Friday. The attack occurred in broad daylight while a funeral service was underway. Gunmen fired for several minutes before retreating. Jordanian officials have labeled the incident an act of extremist terrorism.
King Abdullah traveled to Karak within hours of the shooting to oversee the response. He instructed security forces to hunt down the perpetrators and punish them with an iron fist. The royal court confirmed the King's directive to respond firmly to the attack.
The US embassy in Amman stated that Jordan has increased security at shopping malls, foreign embassies, and other key sites across the country. Authorities are conducting a search for the gunmen, though no group has yet claimed responsibility. Officials noted it was too early to determine if the attackers had ties to known groups inside or outside Jordan.
Nasser al-Burqan, a lawyer who survived the shooting, described the scene to Reuters. He said one attacker stood about two meters away and aimed a handgun at him before firing. Al-Burqan later saw two assailants outside a window, one masked and the other carrying a handgun. His son, who was also at the church, was shot in the leg and is receiving hospital treatment.
Tarek Ammarin, whose relative was injured, described the event as a massacre in every sense of the word. Bahjat al-Rushda, the mayor of Shihan village in Karak, called the attack wicked and expressed hope that the country would remain safe. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan posted on X that the attack resulted from terrorist ideology and blind extremism.
Jordan has declared three days of national mourning. Karak is located roughly 120 kilometers southwest of the capital, Amman, and is home to a minority Christian population. The country contains several biblical sites that attract Christian pilgrims from around the world. Attacks of this type are rare in the US-allied kingdom, although authorities say they have foiled plots by violent groups driven by a strict interpretation of Islam in recent years.
