Jordan mourns nine killed in funeral shooting

Jordan, long viewed as a stable hub in a volatile Middle East region, faced a sudden surge of violence on Friday when armed men opened fire at a funeral service. The incident occurred at St George's Greek Orthodox church in the town of Hamoud, located within the Karak governorate south of the capital.

Public Security Directorate head Maj Gen Abdallah al-Maaytah confirmed that nine people were killed in the attack. The health minister reported that 40 others were wounded, with most currently receiving treatment. Authorities stated that the search for the remaining attackers was still ongoing as of late Friday.

Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh characterized the incident as a terrorist act carried out by extremists. He noted that it was too early to determine if the perpetrators had ties to known groups either inside or outside the country. No organization had formally claimed responsibility for the shooting by the time authorities issued their initial statements.

State television aired footage from a security camera at the church, which was verified by Reuters. The video showed three individuals firing from a pavement, taking cover behind trees and a low wall before running toward the church entrance. Witness Theodoros Soueiss, a priest present at the scene, described the gunfire as indiscriminate. He said, "A sense of panic took hold among those present," adding that attendees did not know where a bullet might land.

King Abdullah visited Karak within hours of the shooting. He stated that the perpetrators would be punished with an iron fist and that those attempting to divide the nation with bullets had no chance against national unity. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan wrote on social media that the attack was the result of a terrorist ideology and blind extremism.

The United States embassy in Amman announced on Saturday that security measures had been increased at malls, foreign embassies, and other locations across the country. UN Secretary General António Guterres condemned the violence, calling attacks on civilians and places of worship unacceptable. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz described the event as a depraved and brutal attack on a house of worship.

Outside a government hospital in Karak, citizens gathered to support the wounded. Hani Al-Mbaydeen expressed shock, urging the state to investigate where such dark ideas originate and how they enter the minds of the younger generation.

Christians remain a minority in Jordan, a country that hosts several biblical sites attracting pilgrims globally. US authorities have reported foiling multiple attempted attacks by Islamist militants in recent years, and Jordan was among the US allies in the region affected by Iranian attacks earlier this year following strikes on Iran in February.