Jordan Declares Three Days of Mourning After Deadly Church Attack
A shooting at a Greek Orthodox funeral in Karak has left seven dead and triggered a national mourning period in Jordan.
By Imani Brooks ·
Gunmen stormed a funeral service at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak on Friday, killing seven people and wounding forty others. The town is located about 90 kilometers south of the capital, Amman. Local authorities confirmed the high casualty count shortly after the assault concluded, marking a significant spike in violence for the region.
Footage broadcast by state television showed two men approaching the building with pistols in hand. They began firing before a third individual arrived carrying a semiautomatic rifle. All three suspects then ran toward the entrance. Witness recordings captured the aftermath inside, where shattered glass and blood were visible on the church floor. The sudden nature of the attack caught mourners off guard during the service.
Dorgham Halasa, a mourner present at the time, described the scene as intense and chaotic. He stated that heavy gunfire erupted roughly fifteen minutes after the funeral started, prompting a rush of people trying to escape. While Halasa did not see the shooters directly, he noted that others in the crowd reported spotting four individuals. Investigators have not yet confirmed the total number of assailants involved in the incident.
The government released a statement describing the perpetrators as unknown attackers. Officials said that investigations were proceeding at full speed but did not specify if any suspects had been captured or killed. Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour reported that two of the injured victims remain in critical condition. In response to the tragedy, Jordan declared a period of three days of national mourning.
King Abdullah II addressed the event on social media, promising that the kingdom would confront the act with the harshest penalties. He extended condolences to the families of the deceased and wished recovery for those injured. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan attended a security meeting in Karak later that evening. He characterized the event as the result of terrorist ideology and blind extremism, vowing to take legal action against those who promote such views.
Karak has a history of significant violence, including a series of ambushes on police in 2016 that killed ten people. The town is home to a minority Christian population. Regional leaders from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Oman quickly expressed their condolences. The grand imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed al-Tayeb, called the shooting a heinous terrorist act. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein also phoned his Jordanian counterpart to affirm solidarity.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack through his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric. Guterres described the incident as especially heinous because it targeted mourners during a funeral. He called for all those responsible to be found and held to account for the loss of life in Karak.
Source: NPR
