Seven die in Jordan church attack

Seven people were killed and at least 34 others injured when gunmen attacked a funeral at a church in the village of Hmoud, located in Jordan's Karak governorate, on Friday. The attackers arrived by car, entered the building, opened fire, and fled the scene. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the shooting.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya addressed the press to describe the perpetrators as a group of extremists. He characterized the incident as painful and horrific, noting that it was unparalleled in the history of the Hashemite Kingdom. King Abdullah II stated that authorities would confront the terrorist act with the harshest penalties. Initial reports on the death toll were inconsistent, with a government spokesperson briefly citing six deaths before officials returned to the figure of seven.

CCTV footage verified by the BBC shows three gunmen approaching the church from a road. Two of the men entered a vehicle entrance on the church grounds, retreated briefly, and returned with a third individual. All three appeared to be carrying handguns. Other footage from the aftermath depicts dead and wounded individuals on the ground in chaotic conditions.

Witnesses described intense panic inside the church, where people hid under pews and moved away from windows. Khalid al-Mdanat, who was present, said the attack lasted about 15 minutes. He noted that people tried to flee while shooting was still active. He added that the gunmen exited through the church doors and escaped in a pickup truck while firing their weapons.

Another witness described the sound as if a war had just started. A woman inside the church said gunfire began seconds after a prayer and that the situation escalated for 10 continuous minutes. She reported seeing bodies in the courtyards when she exited the building. Security forces closed nearby roads and tightened controls at a hospital in Karak where the wounded were being treated.

Karak hosts a sizeable Christian community within Jordan, a majority Muslim country. While such violence is rare in the nation, deadly attacks have occurred previously. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun condemned the event as a heinous terrorist attack. He said the incident violated the sanctity of death and funeral mourners, according to Lebanese media reports.

Residents in the area expressed shock and anger, with some voicing frustration over what they described as a failure to take a tougher approach toward terrorists. The mood remained tense as families mourned outside the hospital. King Abdullah II visited the injured patients as security forces continued their search for the suspects.