Gunmen Kill Seven at Karak Church Funeral

Three gunmen breached a church in Hmoud, Karak governorate, on Friday and opened fire during a funeral, killing seven people and wounding at least 34 others. The attackers arrived by car, entered the building, and fled after a firefight that witnesses described as chaotic and prolonged. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident, which took place in a community with a large Christian population in the majority Muslim nation.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya addressed reporters following the shooting, identifying the perpetrators as a group of extremists. He described the event as painful and horrific, stating it was unparalleled in the history of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Authorities are actively working to arrest the individuals behind the attack. King Abdullah II responded by ordering that officials confront the terrorist act with the harshest penalties.

Verified CCTV footage shows the three men approaching the church from a road, all carrying handguns. Two of them initially entered a vehicle entrance, retreated briefly, and then returned with the third man. Separate video from the aftermath captures dead and injured individuals lying on the ground in the courtyard. Khalid al-Mdanat, a witness inside the church, told BBC Arabic that the shooting lasted about fifteen minutes. He noted that people attempted to flee while gunfire was still active, and the gunmen escaped through the doors in a pickup truck, firing as they left.

Witnesses recounted the panic inside the sanctuary, where attendees threw themselves under pews and moved away from windows. One woman said gunfire began seconds after a prayer, and the situation escalated for ten continuous minutes. When she exited the building, she reported seeing bodies scattered in the courtyards. Another witness described the sound as if a war had just started. The death toll was reported inconsistently in the early hours, with a government spokesperson initially citing six victims before officials confirmed the figure of seven.

Security forces closed roads near the hospital in Karak treating the wounded, forcing visitors to park and walk. Tensions were high as families gathered, crying and shouting in grief. Some residents expressed frustration at what they perceived as a failure to take a tougher approach against terrorists. King Abdullah II visited the injured patients, and security was tightened further around the facility during his stay.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack as heinous, stating it violated the sanctity of death and funeral mourners. He said the violence contradicted all religious and humanitarian values, according to Lebanese media reports.