Gunmen Fire on Jordanian Church Funeral, Killing Seven

Authorities in central Jordan confirmed on Friday that seven people died and at least 34 others sustained injuries after gunmen attacked a funeral service at a church in Hmoud. The incident occurred in the Karak governorate, where officials are now searching for the unidentified suspects who fled the scene.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya addressed reporters to describe the perpetrators as a group of extremists. He characterized the violence as painful, horrific, and unparalleled in the history of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. King Abdullah II subsequently stated that authorities would confront the terrorist act with the harshest penalties available under the law.

Verified CCTV footage shows three armed men approaching the church from a nearby road. Two individuals entered what appears to be a vehicle entrance, briefly retreated, and then reappeared with a third gunman. All three carried handguns. Later footage from the aftermath depicted dead and wounded individuals lying on the ground amidst chaotic scenes.

Witnesses inside the building described a state of panic as congregants threw themselves under pews and moved away from windows. Khalid al-Mdanat, a person present at the church, told BBC Arabic that the attack lasted approximately 15 minutes. He reported that people attempted to flee while gunfire was still active, and that the gunmen escaped through the doors in a pickup truck while firing.

Another woman inside the church said the shooting began seconds after a prayer. She noted that the situation continued to escalate for 10 continuous minutes before she exited to find bodies scattered in the courtyards. A separate witness described the noise as sounding as if a war had just started.

Security forces closed roads near a hospital in Karak that was treating the wounded, requiring visitors to park and walk to the entrance. Security measures were tightened further ahead of King Abdullah II's visit to see the injured patients. The Karak region maintains a sizeable Christian community within Jordan's majority Muslim population, and while deadly attacks are rare, they have occurred in the country's past.

Lebanon President Joseph Aoun condemned the event through Lebanese media. He called it a heinous terrorist attack that violated the sanctity of death and funeral mourners. He stated that the violence contradicts all religious and humanitarian values.