King Abdullah Orders Hunt for Gunmen After Karak Church Funeral Kills Eight
Jordanian authorities have intensified security measures and declared a three-day mourning period following an attack that left eight dead and forty wounded.
By Min-jun Kim ·
King Abdullah II directed Jordan's security forces to conduct a comprehensive search for the individuals responsible for a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in the Karak governorate. The royal court announced the order following an incident in which eight people were killed and forty others were injured.
The shooting occurred on Friday in broad daylight while a funeral service was underway. The church is located approximately 120 kilometers southwest of Amman. Gunmen fired their weapons for several minutes. Jordanian officials classified the incident as an act of extremist terrorism. No organization has publicly claimed responsibility for the attack.
In response to the violence, the country has increased security presence at shopping malls, foreign embassies, and other strategic locations. The United States Embassy in Amman confirmed these heightened precautions. Security forces continue to search for the perpetrators. Jordan has declared a three-day period of national mourning to honor the victims.
King Abdullah traveled to Karak shortly after the shooting to assess the situation. He stated that the perpetrators would be punished with an iron fist. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan addressed the incident on social media, describing it as the result of a terrorist ideology and blind extremism. Hassan asserted that the nation would not allow society to follow that path.
Survivors provided details of the event. Nasser al-Burqan, a lawyer who was present at the funeral, told Reuters that one attacker stood roughly two meters away and aimed a handgun at him before firing. His son, who was also at the service, was shot in the leg and transported to a hospital for treatment. Al-Burqan later observed two assailants through a window. One wore a mask, while the other was unmasked and carried a handgun.
Tarek Ammarin, whose relative was injured, described the event as a massacre in every sense. Bahjat al-Rushda, the mayor of Shihan village, condemned the attack as wicked and expressed confidence that the country would remain safe. Attacks of this nature are uncommon in Jordan, though authorities state they have thwarted multiple plots by violent groups in recent years. Karak hosts a minority Christian population, and the country contains several biblical sites that attract international pilgrims.
Source: Al Jazeera
