Jordan hunts gunmen after eight killed

Gunmen killed eight people and wounded 40 others during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak on Friday. The royal court said King Abdullah instructed security forces to hunt down the perpetrators and respond firmly to the incident.

The attack occurred in broad daylight in a town located approximately 120 kilometers southwest of Amman. Officials described the event as an act of extremist terrorism. No group has claimed responsibility yet, and authorities stated it is too early to determine if the attackers had external ties.

The US embassy in Amman reported that Jordan increased security measures at shopping malls, foreign embassies, and other key sites following the shooting. The state-run Petra News Agency announced a three-day period of national mourning. Security forces remain actively searching for the suspects.

King Abdullah traveled to Karak within hours of the gunfire. He pledged that the perpetrators would be punished with an iron fist. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan posted on X that the attack reflected a terrorist ideology and blind extremism. He added that society would not go down that path.

Nasser al-Burqan, a lawyer who survived the attack, told Reuters that one assailant fired a handgun at him from a distance of about two meters. His son was also shot in the leg and is receiving hospital treatment. Al-Burqan said he saw two attackers through a window after the gunfire stopped; one was masked and the other carried a handgun.

Tarek Ammarin, whose relative was injured, called the incident a massacre in every sense of the word. Bahjat al-Rushda, the mayor of Shihan village in Karak, condemned the wicked attack and expressed hope that the country would remain safe. Police were seen patrolling outside the church on Saturday.

Jordan is home to a minority Christian population and several biblical sites that attract pilgrims from around the world. Although such attacks are rare in the US-allied kingdom, authorities say they have repeatedly foiled plots by violent groups driven by a strict interpretation of Islam in recent years.