Jordan hunts Karak church gunmen

King Abdullah directed Jordan’s security forces to capture the individuals responsible for a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak. The royal court stated that the monarch instructed officials to respond firmly to the incident, which resulted in eight deaths and 40 injuries. The attack occurred on Friday in broad daylight while a funeral was taking place.

The violence unfolded in Karak, located approximately 120 kilometers southwest of the capital, Amman. Gunmen fired for several minutes during the service. Jordanian authorities characterized the event as an act of extremist terrorism. The US embassy in Amman reported that security measures have been increased at shopping malls, embassies, and other key sites across the country. Police are currently searching for the perpetrators.

King Abdullah traveled to Karak shortly after the shooting. He vowed that the suspects would be punished with an iron fist. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan described the attack as the result of terrorist ideology and blind extremism. He stated on social media that society would not be allowed to follow that path. The state-run Petra News Agency reported that Jordan declared three days of national mourning.

Nasser al-Burqan, a lawyer who survived the incident, told Reuters that one attacker stood about two meters away and fired a handgun at him. Al-Burqan added that his son, who was also present, was shot in the leg and is receiving hospital treatment. The survivor noted that after the gunfire stopped, he saw two assailants through a window, one masked and the other unmasked with a handgun. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and officials said it was too early to determine if the attackers had ties to known groups.

Tarek Ammarin, whose relative was injured, called the event a massacre in every sense of the word. Bahjat al-Rushda, the mayor of Shihan village in Karak, condemned the attack as wicked and expressed hope that the country would remain safe. Video footage from Saturday showed police patrolling outside the church building.

Such attacks are rare in Jordan, though authorities in the US-allied kingdom say they have foiled plots by violent groups in recent years. Karak is home to a minority Christian population, and the country contains several biblical sites that attract Christian pilgrims from around the world.