World
Gunmen Kill Seven People During Funeral at Church in Southern Jordan
Jordanian authorities launched a massive manhunt after masked assailants opened fire inside a Greek Orthodox church, drawing widespread international condemnation.
By Headlinne · Compiled from reporting by ABC, National, BBC and 5 others
Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in southern Jordan on Friday, killing seven people and wounding dozens of others in a rare assault.
The attack took place in the village of Hamoud within the Karak governorate, located about 100 kilometres south of the capital, Amman.
Between 150 and 200 people were inside and around the church for the service when three masked assailants arrived in a vehicle.
Violence targeting houses of worship is highly unusual in Jordan, a stable, Muslim-majority kingdom with a historic Christian minority.
“The terrorist attack against Karak will be met with the harshest retaliation,” said King Abdullah II in a post on social media.
The monarch vowed that authorities would strike with an iron fist against those who threatened the nation.
Jordanian officials described the perpetrators as a group of extremists and unknown assailants.
Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said security services were working round the clock to track down the culprits.
Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said the shooting stemmed from terrorist ideology and blind extremism.
Witnesses described scenes of absolute panic as mourners threw themselves under pews to escape the continuous gunfire.
“People were crying, wailing, screaming – it’s hard to describe,” said Ihab Ammareen, a witness interviewed by state television.
CCTV footage broadcast by state media showed two attackers carrying pistols and a third holding a semi-automatic rifle.
Reports regarding the total casualties varied slightly, with some local officials citing 34 wounded while other tallies reached 40.
The Hindu reported that the death toll rose to nine after two critically injured victims succumbed to their wounds on Saturday.
Regional leaders and international figures, including United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, condemned the killings.
Authorities declared three days of national mourning as security forces continued their pursuit of the attackers.
Reporting from
- ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting CorporationBalanced
At least six killed in attack at church in Jordan, state
- The NationalBalanced
King Abdullah condemns ‘terrorist attack’ at Jordan church that killed seven
- BBCBalanced
Seven shot dead by gunmen at church funeral in Jordan, government says
- Times of IndiaBalanced
Video: Gunmen storm Jordan church during funeral, killing 7 and wounding 40
- The GuardianBalanced
Seven killed and 40 injured after gunmen open fire at church funeral in Jordan
- NPR NewsBalanced
Gunmen open fire at a church during a funeral in Jordan, killing 7 and wounding 40
- Al JazeeraBalanced
Who was behind the deadly church shooting in Jordan?
- The HinduBalanced
Death toll from Jordan church attack rises to nine
How this article was made: Headlinne wrote it with AI from the 8 reports listed above. Direct quotes are checked word for word against those reports, every number appears in at least one of them, and no other sentence is copied from one. Photos are from those reports and credited to them. Each report’s page on Headlinne links to the outlet’s original.