Jordan's King Vows Ruthless Response After Three Gunmen Slaughter Seven at Karak Church

Seven people died and 40 others were injured when gunmen opened fire at a funeral inside a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, Jordan, on Friday. The town sits approximately 90 kilometers south of the capital, Amman. Jordanian state television broadcast footage of the initial moments of the attack, showing two men advancing on the building with pistols before a third man followed with a semiautomatic rifle. All three men ran toward the church after firing.

Witness Dorgham Halasa described the scene inside the church, stating that intense gunfire began roughly 15 minutes after the service started. He noted that people began to run immediately, calling the situation strange due to the volume of heavy shooting. Although Halasa did not see the attackers himself, he reported hearing from others that four individuals were spotted. Jordanian security services have not yet confirmed the exact number of assailants involved.

The government stated that unknown assailants carried out the assault. Officials said investigations are proceeding at full speed but did not specify if any suspects had been captured or killed. In response to the violence, Jordan declared three days of national mourning. Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour announced that two of the 40 wounded are currently in critical condition.

King Abdullah II posted on X that Jordan will confront the act with the harshest penalties. He offered condolences to the families of the deceased and wished recovery for the injured. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan addressed a security meeting in Karak on Friday evening, describing the attack as the result of terrorist ideology and blind extremism. He pledged legal measures against those seeking to introduce extremism into the country.

Karak has experienced deadly violence in the past. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police near a local Crusader castle, killing ten people, including seven officers. Security forces engaged the attackers in a long standoff before neutralizing them. The town is home to a minority Christian population.

Regional leaders and international figures quickly condemned the shooting. Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, called the incident a heinous terrorist attack. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein spoke with his Jordanian counterpart to express solidarity. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the attack as especially heinous because it occurred during a funeral. His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said the secretary-general called for all responsible parties to be found and held to account.