Three fugitives remain at large after eight die in Jordan church attack

Jordan’s security forces are conducting a nationwide search for three men who survived a deadly shooting at a place of worship. The attack occurred during a service in the southern governorate, resulting in the highest number of casualties in a Christian site in the kingdom for years.

The Ministry of Health reported that eight people died and 40 were injured in the incident. Petra news agency confirmed that seven victims perished at the scene, while an eighth, a woman, succumbed to her injuries hours later. Of the wounded, 27 remain hospitalized, including one patient in critical condition following surgery at Prince Ali Military Hospital.

The shooting began Friday afternoon during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud. Witnesses described an explosion shortly after the service started. Two attackers arrived by vehicle, followed by a third man carrying a semi-automatic rifle. The group entered the building and fired for several minutes. Nasser al-Burqan, a lawyer who survived, stated that one gunman stood two meters away and fired a handgun at him. His son, also present, was shot in the leg. Tarek Ammarin, who was visiting an injured relative, described the event as a massacre in every sense of the word.

King Abdullah II ordered a review of the country’s security procedures for responding to terrorist threats. He stated that those responsible would face the harshest penalties. Interior Minister Mazin Al-Farrayeh attributed the attack to a group of extremists but did not name a specific organization. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan characterized the incident as a product of terrorist ideology and blind extremism. The motive for the attack remains unclear as the attackers have not yet been identified.

Karak governorate, located about 120 kilometers south of Amman, is home to a large portion of Jordan’s roughly 300,000 Christians. Taylor Luck, a senior Middle East correspondent, noted that the community values interfaith coexistence. He suggested that the attack might strengthen rather than divide the local population. International reactions have included condolences from the United States, Poland, Iraq, and Qatar. Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Cairo’s Al-Azhar, called the incident a heinous terrorist attack.

The prime minister declared three days of national mourning, with flags flying at half-mast over public buildings. While such attacks are rare in Jordan, the region has experienced violence previously. In 2016, ISIL fighters besieged a Crusader-era castle in the area, killing 10 people, including seven police officers and a Canadian tourist. Security forces killed four of the attackers after a prolonged standoff.