Jordan church funeral shooting kills nine, injures 40; king vows harsh response
Gunmen attacked a funeral at St George's Greek Orthodox church in Karak, Jordan, killing nine and injuring 40; authorities call it terrorism and hunt attackers.
The story in focus
Gunmen opened fire at a funeral at St George's Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud, Karak governorate, Jordan, on Friday, killing nine and injuring 40, authorities said. Jordan's interior minister called it a terrorist act by extremists, but said links to known groups were not yet determined. No claim of responsibility was made.
- Nine killed and 40 injured in attack at St George's Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud, Karak governorate, on Friday
- Interior minister Mazin Al Farrayeh said attack was by extremists but too early to determine links to known groups
- No immediate claim of responsibility; manhunt for attackers ongoing
- King Abdullah visited Karak and vowed harshest retaliation
- Security stepped up at malls and embassies across Jordan, US embassy in Amman said
Attack and immediate response
Gunmen opened fire at a funeral at St George's Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud, in Karak governorate, Jordan, on Friday, according to The Guardian. Jordanian authorities said nine people were killed and 40 injured, and described the attack as a terrorist act by extremists.
Maj Gen Abdallah al-Maaytah, head of Jordan's Public Security Directorate, said most of the injured were receiving treatment and that the search for the attackers was continuing. Interior minister Mazin Al Farrayeh said it was too early to determine whether the attackers had links to known groups inside or outside Jordan. No immediate claim of responsibility was made.
Official reactions and security measures
King Abdullah visited Karak hours after the attack and said the perpetrators would be punished with an iron fist, vowing the harshest retaliation. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said the attack resulted from a terrorist ideology and blind extremism.
The US embassy in Amman said on Saturday that security had been stepped up at malls, foreign embassies and other locations across Jordan. UN secretary general António Guterres condemned the violence, saying attacks against civilians and places of worship were unacceptable, according to The Guardian.
Context and witness accounts
The Guardian reported that such attacks are rare in Jordan, which is relatively stable, though US authorities say they have repeatedly foiled attempted attacks by Islamist militants in recent years. Christians make up a minority of Jordan's population.
A video aired on state-owned Al-Mamlaka television, which Reuters said it verified, showed three people firing at the church from a pavement and then running towards its entrance. A priest at the church, Theodoros Soueiss, described panic among those present and indiscriminate gunfire. Witness Khaled Burqan told Al-Mamlaka that dozens were present and the gunmen fired for several minutes.
What did Jordanian authorities say about the attackers' possible affiliations?
Interior minister Mazin Al Farrayeh said the attack was carried out by extremists, but it was too early to tell whether they had links to known groups inside or outside Jordan. No group claimed responsibility.
Sources & further reading
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