Jordan declares mourning after gunmen kill seven at Karak church funeral

Funeral mourners in Karak, Jordan, faced a sudden burst of gunfire on Friday that left seven people dead and 40 others wounded. The attack struck a Greek Orthodox church located roughly 90 kilometers south of the capital, Amman, disrupting a religious service and leaving blood and shattered glass across the floor.

State television footage captured the sequence of events as two men armed with pistols approached the building and opened fire. A third man carrying a semiautomatic rifle followed, adding to the volley before all three ran toward the church entrance. Dorgham Halasa, a mourner inside, described the chaos as intense gunfire erupting about 15 minutes after the service began. He noted that while he did not see the attackers, others claimed to have spotted four figures.

Jordanian authorities have described the assault as being carried out by unknown assailants. The government confirmed that investigations are proceeding rapidly but did not state whether any of the gunmen had been captured or killed. Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour reported that two of the wounded patients are currently in critical condition.

King Abdullah II responded to the violence on X, promising that Jordan will confront the terrorist act with the harshest penalties. He offered condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery for the injured. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, addressing a security meeting in Karak on Friday evening, attributed the attack to terrorist ideology and blind extremism. He vowed that legal measures would be taken against those seeking to introduce such extremism into the region.

Karak has a history of deadly violence, most notably in 2016 when gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks that included a strike at a Crusader castle. That incident left ten people dead, seven of them officers, and dozens wounded. Security forces ended the standoff after killing the attackers. The town is home to a minority Christian population, which has been affected by previous outbreaks of violence.

Regional leaders quickly offered condolences and condemned the shooting. Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar in Cairo, called the event a heinous terrorist attack. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein phoned his Jordanian counterpart to affirm solidarity, while U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the attack especially heinous because it occurred during a funeral. Guterres urged that all those responsible be found and held to account.

Jordan has declared a three-day period of national mourning following the tragedy. The Petra News Agency confirmed the duration of the mourning period as the country processed the loss of life in Karak.