Jordan church shooting kills nine during funeral mass

Nine people died and 40 were wounded when gunmen opened fire during a funeral service at a church in Jordan on Friday.

The shooting occurred at St George's Greek Orthodox church in the town of Hamoud within Karak governorate. Maj Gen Abdallah al-Maaytah, head of the Public Security Directorate, stated that most of the injured were receiving medical care and that a search for the shooters was ongoing. The health minister confirmed the injury count at 40.

Interior minister Mazin Al Farrayeh attributed the attack to extremists, though he noted it was premature to determine if the perpetrators had links to specific groups inside or outside Jordan. No group has claimed responsibility. Security camera footage aired on state television Al-Mamlaka showed three individuals firing from a pavement position, using trees and a low wall for cover before moving toward the entrance. Reuters verified the video by matching the entry path and surrounding structures.

Witnesses described chaos inside the church. Priest Theodoros Soueiss said he and others urged attendees to get down. "A sense of panic took hold among those present," he said. "The gunfire was indiscriminate, and you never knew where a bullet might land." Khaled Burqan, a funeral attendee, told Al-Mamlaka that the gunmen fired for several minutes while dozens of people were present. Ihab Ammareen, another witness, reported seeing bloodied people collapse on the floor and described a scene of crying and screaming.

Prime minister Jafar Hassan wrote on X that the attack resulted from a terrorist ideology and blind extremism. King Abdullah visited Karak within hours of the shooting and vowed the perpetrators would be punished with an iron fist. He stated that those who attempt to divide Jordanians with bullets have no chance against national unity.

Reuters footage taken after the attack showed blood on the floor near the church entrance, where security forces were deployed. The US embassy in Amman announced on Saturday that security had been increased at malls, foreign embassies, and other locations across the country. UN secretary general António Guterres condemned the violence, calling attacks on places of worship unacceptable. Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, described the event as a depraved and brutal attack on a house of worship.

Jordan is viewed as relatively stable, though US authorities report foiling multiple attempted attacks by Islamist militants in recent years. The country was also targeted by Iranian strikes this year following US and Israeli operations against Iran in February. Christians remain a minority in Jordan, a nation home to biblical sites that attract international pilgrims. Hani Al-Mbaydeen, standing outside a government hospital in Karak, called for an investigation into how dark ideas enter the minds of the country's children.