Jordan church attack kills 9, King Abdullah vows justice
An armed attack targeted a Greek Orthodox church in Hmoud village, Karak governorate, during a woman's funeral, killing and wounding worshippers. King Abdullah II vowed to respond "with an iron fist."
Nine people were killed and dozens more wounded on Friday evening in an armed attack on a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hmoud, in Jordan's southern Karak governorate, during a woman's funeral. Jordan's Public Security Directorate initially reported seven dead and 34 wounded, before media outlets including the BBC and Al Jazeera said the death toll had risen to nine.
How the attack unfolded
According to Jordanian public security, gunmen got out of a vehicle and opened fire on those present from the church's outer courtyard. Security camera footage at the main entrance showed three attackers carrying backpacks; one used an automatic weapon, responsible for most of the casualties, while the other two carried pistols. A witness told state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka that the shooting lasted about five minutes before the attackers fled. No group has claimed responsibility so far, but a Jordanian official source described it as a "terrorist act" carried out by individuals with a "takfiri background." Public security spokesman Amer al-Sartawi said the investigation was ongoing and results would be announced in stages.
Reactions and tightened security
King Abdullah II called the attack a "terrorist act," saying "the hand of justice will reach every terrorist," and ordered security forces to respond "with an iron fist." On X, the king wrote: "Whoever imagined that treacherous bullets could divide Jordanians has failed in the face of our steadfastness and unity," adding that Jordanians from north to south are "partners in the land and in the stance." Jordan declared a day of mourning, while authorities tightened security around foreign embassies, shopping centers and vital sites nationwide; the US Embassy in Amman also raised its security alert level.
According to Al Jazeera, this is the first armed attack to target a church in Jordan, even though the kingdom's dozens of churches had never been targeted before. The city of Karak, home to about 375,000 people, most of them Muslim, has a long-standing Christian community concentrated in a neighborhood known as "Harat al-Masihiyeen," including the Halsa and Hijazeen families. The same governorate was hit by a separate attack in December 2016, claimed by the Islamic State group, that targeted Karak's historic castle and killed ten people, including a Canadian tourist.