Jordan: Seven killed in shootout at Karak church funeral

Seven people died and at least 34 others were injured when gunmen opened fire at a church funeral in central Jordan on Friday.

The shooting took place in Hmoud, a town in the Karak governorate. Officials stated that the attackers arrived by car, entered the building, and fled before being identified. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.

Mazen al-Faraya, the interior minister, told a news conference that authorities are working to arrest the suspects, whom he labeled a "group of extremists." He characterized the event as "painful and horrific" and "unparalleled in the history of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan." King Abdullah II responded by promising that those behind the act would face the "harshest penalties."

CCTV footage verified by the BBC shows three armed men approaching the site from a road. Two men enter a vehicle entrance, retreat briefly, and return with a third. All appear to be holding handguns. Separate video from the aftermath shows victims lying on the ground in a courtyard.

Witnesses recounted the chaos inside the building. Khalid al-Mdanat said the gunfire lasted approximately 15 minutes. He noted that people attempted to escape while bullets were still flying. The gunmen left through the doors and departed in a pickup truck, firing as they drove away. Another witness described the sound as if a war had started. A woman inside the church said the shooting began seconds after a prayer and that bodies were visible in the courtyards when she exited.

Security forces closed roads near a hospital in Karak where the wounded were treated. Crowds gathered at the hospital entrance, and families cried and shouted outside. Residents expressed anger and shock, with some criticizing what they called a failure to handle terrorists more aggressively. King Abdullah II visited the injured patients later in the day.

Karak is home to a large Christian community in the majority Muslim nation. Joseph Aoun, the president of Lebanon, condemned the violence as a "heinous terrorist attack" that violated the sanctity of mourners, according to Lebanese media reports.