Gunmen Kill at Least Seven at Funeral in Jordanian Church Attack

Gunmen attacked a church in southern Jordan during a funeral on Friday, killing at least seven people, according to authorities. The shooting took place in the village of Hammoud, in Karak governorate, and was described as a rare assault on Christians in the majority Sunni Muslim kingdom.

Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya told a press conference that 34 other people were wounded. He said a group of extremists was responsible for the shooting.

The public security directorate said the assailants stormed the compound of a Greek Orthodox church before opening fire. The gunmen stepped out of a vehicle during a funeral procession, the directorate added, and a manhunt for the perpetrators was underway. Karak, which has a significant Christian community, lies 110 miles south of the capital, Amman.

Footage aired by the state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka captured the moment of the attack. Two gunmen in casual clothes can be seen holding pistols, while a third carries a long gun. They fire on the church from an entrance on the street and then advance forward.

An eyewitness who spoke to Al-Mamlaka said the vehicle carrying the attackers pulled up and the gunmen fired without pause for five minutes before escaping. The witness estimated that between 150 and 200 people were in and around the church at the time, and said most of the victims were between 50 and 70 years old.

Minister of Government Communications Mohammed Al-Momani said security forces were investigating the attack.

King Abdullah II promised the "harshest retaliation" against those responsible. "Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation," he said on social media.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the only Christian head of state in the Arab world, condemned the shooting as a "heinous terrorist attack." According to a presidency statement, he said it "reaffirms once again that terrorism has no religion and no homeland, and its aim is to strike at coexistence and spread strife."

Karak has seen deadly violence before. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in the area, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists. Ten people were killed, seven of them officers, and dozens were wounded. Jordanian security forces killed the attackers after a lengthy standoff.