Gunmen Kill 7 and Wound 34 at Funeral in Greek Orthodox Church in Jordan, Officials Say

Gunmen attacked a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hammoud, in Jordan's Karak governorate, on Friday, Oct. 23. Seven people were killed and 34 wounded, Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said at a news conference.

Karak sits about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of the capital, Amman. It is home to a minority Christian population in a majority Sunni Muslim country.

No one has claimed responsibility. Jordan's government statement said the attack was "carried out by unknown assailants" and that "investigations are underway at full speed." It did not say whether any gunmen had been captured or killed.

What the footage and witnesses show

State broadcaster Al-Mamlaka aired CCTV footage of the assault. Two men in casual clothes, apparently holding pistols, approach the church entrance from the street and fire. A third man, who appears to carry a long gun, joins them. All three then run toward the church.

The Associated Press described that third weapon as a semiautomatic rifle. The BBC, which verified separate CCTV footage, said all three appeared to be armed with handguns. A witness told Al-Mamlaka one attacker carried an AK-47-style rifle.

The public security directorate said the attackers got out of a vehicle and opened fire during a funeral procession. A funeral attendee, Khaled Burqan, told Al-Mamlaka that one assailant carried a pistol and another a rifle.

Witness accounts of the duration differ. One said the gunmen fired continuously for about five minutes before fleeing. Others described the shooting as lasting 10 to 15 minutes.

Some survivors told Reuters they heard an explosion as the procession began, and one woman inside said explosions rang out seconds after a prayer. Officials have not said whether any explosive device was used.

"I heard something as if a war had just started," one witness told the BBC. "I thought it was an electrical short circuit. I looked, people lying on the ground, wounded."

Another witness told Al-Mamlaka that between 150 and 200 people were in and around the church, and that most of the victims were between 50 and 70 years old.

Casualty count shifted during the day

The toll moved through the afternoon. Early reports carried six dead and 28 injured. A government spokesperson at one point said six had died, before officials settled on seven dead and 34 wounded.

Maj. Gen. Obeidallah Maaytah, Jordan's director of public security, said 27 of the wounded were still being treated. Security was heavy at the hospital in Karak, where roads were closed and families of the dead and injured gathered in anger, according to the BBC.

The government's response

King Abdullah II called it a terrorist attack in a post on X. "Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation," he wrote. He also said, "Those who delude themselves into thinking that they can divide Jordanians with their bullets have no chance in the face of our unity."

Al-Faraya described the perpetrators as a "group of extremists" without naming a specific organization. He called the attack "painful and horrific" and "unparalleled in the history of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan." Maaytah said "the perpetrators will be caught and our national unity will not be hit."

The 2016 Karak attacks were deadlier overall, with 10 killed, but they targeted police and a tourist-frequented Crusader castle. Seven of the dead were officers, and Jordanian forces killed those gunmen after a long standoff. Friday's attack hit worshippers and mourners at a church. CBS and AFP described it as a rare attack on Christians in the kingdom.

Condemnation from the region

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, whose country has the Arab world's only Christian head of state, called it a "heinous terrorist attack." He said it "reaffirms once again that terrorism has no religion and no homeland, and its aim is to strike at coexistence and spread strife."

Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar in Cairo, used the same words, "heinous terrorist attack," in offering condolences. Condemnations also came from Syria, Egypt, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq, whose foreign minister, Fuad Hussein, called his Jordanian counterpart. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the attack.

What remains open

The attackers' identities, number and motive are unconfirmed. Officials have given conflicting or incomplete details on how many gunmen were involved. Al-Mamlaka reported that security forces were pursuing two suspects, while the CCTV footage shows three men.

The manhunt continues. The death toll could still change, since 27 of the wounded remain hospitalized. Jordan's government has not said when it will release further findings.