Seven killed and 34 wounded in shooting at Jordanian church funeral

Seven people were killed and 34 wounded when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in southern Jordan, according to Jordan’s public security director, Obaidallah Maaytah. The attack took place at the Hammoud Church in the Karak governorate, about 180 kilometres south of Amman. Twenty-seven of those wounded were receiving hospital treatment, Maaytah said.

Reports from DW and Sky News agreed on the death and injury tolls, while DW said two men opened fire on the funeral procession. A witness quoted by Jordanian state media estimated that between 150 and 200 people were inside the church at the time. The attackers’ identities and motives remained unclear in the supplied reports.

Jordan’s Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya described the perpetrators as a group of “extremists”. Jordanian outlet Roya News reported that authorities had the names of suspects but were not releasing them publicly at that stage. Government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said security forces had opened an investigation.

The reports did not say whether suspects had been arrested or identify a specific organisation as responsible. King Abdullah II condemned what he called a terrorist attack and promised severe 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, adding that Jordan would respond forcefully to anyone threatening the country.

The Royal Court later released images and video of the king visiting wounded people in hospital. The material supplied did not provide further information about their conditions or the circumstances of the funeral. The attack drew condemnation abroad.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called it a “heinous terrorist attack” and offered condolences. US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz described the news as devastating and said attacks on Christians were escalating worldwide. A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres called an attack at a place of worship during a funeral procession “especially heinous”.

Jordan is predominantly Muslim but has a Christian minority numbering several hundred thousand, according to DW. Karak is described as a region with a significant Christian population. The reports said gun attacks of this kind are rare in Jordan, but did not provide wider statistics on violence against religious sites or identify a previous comparable incident.

The available accounts establish the location, casualties and official response, but leave key questions unresolved. There was no confirmed explanation for the attack, no public identification of the suspected gunmen and no indication in the supplied material of whether authorities had determined that the shooting was ideologically motivated.