Karak Church Attack: Three Men Detained in Monday Shootout

Jordanian security forces detained three armed suspects on Monday after a two-day manhunt that ended in a shootout at an abandoned house in Karak. The arrests conclude the immediate search for individuals linked to the Friday attack at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud. State television confirmed the capture of the three men, who were located in the Karak governorate, approximately 120 kilometers southwest of Amman.

The incident occurred during a funeral service. Witnesses reported that gunfire continued for several minutes. The attack resulted in nine deaths and left 40 others wounded. The Public Security Directorate stated that the suspects refused to surrender upon discovery and opened fire on officers. Security forces returned the fire, wounding all three men before taking them into custody. No security personnel were injured in the exchange, and officers recovered multiple firearms and ammunition from the suspects.

Authorities have classified the incident as the work of extremist terrorists. No group has claimed responsibility for the shooting. The Public Security Directorate has not released the names of the detained men or identified specific ties to Islamist militant organizations. In a statement, the directorate declared that terrorism has no place in Jordan and that the suspects had met their just fate.

King Abdullah has ordered security forces to respond with an iron fist to the assault on the country’s Christian minority. Jordan is generally considered stable in the Middle East, though officials have previously disrupted several Islamist militant plots. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya stated that authorities are examining the circumstances that drove young people toward extremism. He added that anyone found to have participated in the attack would be held accountable.

The shooting marks one of the rarer instances of violence targeting the Christian community in Jordan. The three suspects remain in custody following the recovery of weapons from the abandoned house. The directorate confirmed that all three were wounded during the final exchange with security forces.