Jafar Hassan Orders Immediate Search After Karak Church Massacre

Nine people were killed and 40 others wounded when three gunmen opened fire during a funeral at St. George’s Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud, Jordan, on Friday. The attack occurred in the Karak governorate, a region that has historically maintained stability despite regional tensions. Maj. Gen. Abdallah al-Maaytah, head of the Public Security Directorate, confirmed that most of the injured were receiving medical treatment. He stated that authorities were actively searching for the shooters.

Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh labeled the incident a terrorist act carried out by extremists. He noted that it was too early to determine if the gunmen had ties to specific groups inside or outside Jordan. No organization has officially claimed responsibility for the shooting. Footage verified by Reuters showed the attackers firing from a pavement, using trees and a low wall for cover before moving toward the church entrance.

Witnesses described a scene of chaos inside the building. Priest Theodoros Soueiss said he instructed the congregation to get down as bullets flew. He described the gunfire as indiscriminate, noting that no one could predict where a bullet would land. Khaled Burqan, who attended the funeral, said the gunmen fired for several minutes while dozens of people were present. Ihab Ammareen recalled seeing bloodied individuals collapse on the floor, describing the sound of crying and screaming as difficult to articulate.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan responded by ordering a nationwide security sweep to locate the perpetrators. In a post on X, he called the attack the result of a terrorist ideology and blind extremism, vowing that society would not follow that path. King Abdullah visited Karak within hours of the shooting. He promised the perpetrators would be punished with an iron fist and stated that those attempting to divide Jordanians with bullets had no chance against national unity.

The US embassy in Amman confirmed that security measures were stepped up on Saturday at malls, foreign embassies, and other key locations across the country. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the violence against civilians and places of worship. Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, described the incident as a depraved and brutal attack on a house of worship. The United States has previously foiled several attempted attacks by Islamist militants in Jordan in recent years.

Jordan is home to a Christian minority and several biblical sites that attract international pilgrims. The country was also targeted by Iranian attacks earlier this year following US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Outside a government hospital in Karak, Hani Al-Mbaydeen gathered with others to support the wounded. He urged the state to investigate the source of the dark ideas that led to the violence and how they entered the minds of the attackers.