Local
Seven killed, 40 wounded in shooting at Jordan church funeral
Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan’s Karak region on Friday, killing seven people and injuring 40. Authorities said an investigation is underway; two of the wounded were in critical condition.
Seven people were killed and 40 wounded Friday when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 90 kilometers south of Jordan’s capital, Amman, authorities said. Two of the injured were in critical condition, Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said.
A mourner, Dorgham Halasa, said the shooting began about 15 minutes after the funeral started. “It was a weird situation, and heavy gunfire,” he said. Halasa did not see the attackers; he said others reported seeing four gunmen. Jordanian authorities had not released details about the number of assailants or whether anyone had been arrested.
Video aired on Jordanian state television appeared to show three men approaching the church and firing before running toward it. Witness footage showed broken glass and blood on the church floor. The government described the attackers as unknown and said an investigation was proceeding.
Jordan declared three days of national mourning. King Abdullah II said the country would confront what he called a terrorist act and offered condolences to victims’ families. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan characterized the attack as driven by extremist ideology, but authorities had not publicly identified a motive or suspects.
Karak has a minority Christian population. The governorate was also the site of a 2016 series of attacks in which gunmen killed 10 people, including seven police officers, and wounded dozens. Jordanian security forces killed the attackers after a standoff.
Condemnations came from leaders and officials across the region and from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called the attack during a funeral “especially heinous” and urged that those responsible be held accountable.