Interior Minister labels Karak church attack 'unparalleled' after 15 minutes of gunfire

Gunmen fired for roughly 15 minutes inside a church in central Jordan on Friday, killing seven people and wounding at least 34 others. The attack occurred during a funeral in Hmoud, located in the Karak governorate. Officials confirmed the toll after initial reports fluctuated between six and seven deaths before settling on the final count.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya described the incident as "painful and horrific" and "unparalleled in the history of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan." He characterized the unidentified attackers as a "group of extremists" who arrived by car, entered the sanctuary, and fled in a pickup truck while continuing to fire. No individual or organization has claimed responsibility for the shooting.

King Abdullah II stated that authorities would "confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties." The monarch later visited a local hospital to see the injured. Security around the facility was heavy, with nearby roads closed to traffic. Families gathered at the entrance, creating a tense atmosphere marked by crying and shouting as they waited for updates on their loved ones.

CCTV footage verified by the BBC shows three men approaching the church from a road. Two appear to enter a vehicle entrance, retreat briefly, and return with a third man. All three are carrying handguns. Witness Khalid al-Mdanat said people tried to flee while shooting was still active. He noted that the attackers left through the main doors and escaped in a pickup truck, firing as they went.

Inside the building, witnesses reported a state of panic. Individuals threw themselves under pews and moved away from windows while prayers and screams echoed through the space. One woman said the gunfire began seconds after a prayer and that the situation "continued to escalate for 10 continuous minutes." When she emerged, she observed bodies in the courtyards. Another witness described the noise as sounding "as if a war had just started."

Karak is home to a large Christian community within a predominantly Muslim nation. While violent incidents are rare in Jordan, deadly attacks have occurred in the past. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, a Christian head of state, condemned the event as a "heinous terrorist attack." He said the violence "violated the sanctity of death and funeral mourners" and contradicted religious and humanitarian values.

Residents in Karak expressed shock and frustration following the attack. Some voiced dissatisfaction with what they called a failure to take a tougher approach toward terrorists. The mood in the area remained tense as security forces maintained a strong presence around the hospital and surrounding streets.