Seven people were killed and 34 injured yesterday when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in Jordan’s Karak governorate, the head of the country’s Public Security Directorate told reporters, in a rare attack on the country’s Christian minority.
Khaled Burqan, who was at the funeral, said dozens of people were present and that the gunmen opened fire on them for several minutes.
Ihab Ammareen, another witness, said he saw bloodied people collapse on the floor after the attack. “People were crying, wailing, screaming – it’s hard to describe,” he told the station.
Jordan’s King Abdullah visited Karak hours after the attack and said the perpetrators would be punished ‘with an iron fist.’
“The terrorist attack against Karak will be met with the harshest retaliation. Those who delude themselves into thinking that they can divide Jordanians with their bullets have no chance in the face of our unity,” he said in a statement.
Footage from the church after the attack showed blood smeared on the floor near its entrance, where security forces were deployed.
Such attacks are extremely rare in Jordan, which is relatively stable, though Jordanian authorities say they have repeatedly foiled attempted attacks by Islamist militants in recent years.
Christians make up a minority of Jordan’s population. The country is home to several biblical sites that attract Christian pilgrims from around the world.
Jordan’s Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Mohammad Khalayleh and several members of Jordan’s parliament condemned the attack.
The US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz described it in a post on X as a ‘depraved and brutal attack on a house of worship.’
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