7 Dead, 40 Wounded As Gunmen Open Fire During Funeral In Jordan Church
Amman, Jordan: At least seven people were killed and 40 injured on Friday when armed men launched a shooting attack during a funeral service at a Greek Orthodox church in southern Jordan, in one of the deadliest assaults on the kingdom’s Christian community in recent years, the Associated Press reported.
The shooting took place at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 180 km south of Amman. Videos on Jordanian state television appeared to show two gunmen firing outside the church, followed by a third man with a rifle. The three then ran toward the church.
Dorgham Halasa, who was at the funeral, said heavy firing began about 15 minutes after the service started. “It was a weird situation, and heavy gunfire,” he said. People then began running away.
Halasa said he did not see the attackers, but others said there were four gunmen. Officials have not confirmed how many people carried out the attack.
Videos taken by witnesses showed broken glass and blood on the church floor.
Probe And Mourning
Jordan’s government said the attackers were unknown and that an investigation was moving quickly. It did not say whether any suspects had been caught or killed.
Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said two of the injured were in critical condition. Jordan has announced three days of national mourning.
Leaders Condemn Attack
King Abdullah II said Jordan would confront the “terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties,” while offering condolences to the families of the dead and wishing the injured a recovery.
Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, chairing a security meeting in Karak, blamed the assault on “terrorist ideology and blind extremism” and pledged legal action against those seeking to spread extremism.
The killings drew condemnation from across the region, including Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Oman.
Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb called the shooting a “heinous terrorist attack,” while Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein expressed Iraq’s solidarity with Jordan.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack during a funeral as “especially heinous” and urged that those responsible be found and held to account.
Karak has a small Christian community. In 2016, gunmen attacked police in the area, killing 10 people, including seven officers.