Seven dead in Karak church attack

Jordan has experienced a rare wave of violence targeting its Christian minority.

Seven people died and at least 34 were wounded when gunmen opened fire at a funeral service in Hmoud, located in the Karak governorate, on Friday. Officials confirmed the toll after initial reports varied between six and seven deaths.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene that lasted roughly 15 minutes. Khalid al-Mdanat, who was present at the church, said people tried to escape while bullets were still flying. He noted that the attackers left through the main doors and drove away in a pickup truck while continuing to fire. Another witness described the noise as sounding like the start of a war. A woman inside the building said the gunfire began seconds after a prayer and that bodies were scattered across the courtyards when she exited.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya addressed reporters at a news conference following the incident. He identified the attackers as a group of extremists and called the event painful, horrific, and unparalleled in the history of the Hashemite Kingdom. Al-Faraya stated that authorities were actively working to arrest those responsible. No group has formally claimed responsibility for the shooting.

King Abdullah II pledged that the government would confront the terrorist act with the harshest penalties. He visited the injured at a hospital in Karak, where security was tightened and nearby roads were closed. Families of the victims gathered near the entrance, creating a tense atmosphere marked by crying and shouting.

CCTV footage verified by BBC News shows three gunmen approaching the church from a road. Two of the men entered a vehicle entrance, retreated briefly, and then reappeared with a third man. All three appeared to be carrying handguns. The attack occurred in a region with a sizable Christian community within the majority Muslim nation. Such violence is uncommon in Jordan, though deadly attacks have occurred in the past.

Lebanon President Joseph Aoun condemned the incident as a heinous terrorist attack. He stated that the violence violated the sanctity of funeral mourners and contradicted religious and humanitarian values.