Jordan Declares Three-Day Mourning After Seven Die in Karak Church Shooting

Three gunmen opened fire at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, Jordan, on Friday, killing seven people and injuring forty.

The town lies approximately 90 kilometers south of Amman. State television footage showed two men with pistols approaching the building before a third man with a semiautomatic rifle joined the attack. Witnesses described shattered glass and blood on the floor. The government stated that unknown assailants carried out the attack and that investigations are proceeding quickly. No gunmen have been confirmed as captured or killed. Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour reported that two of the wounded are in critical condition.

Dorgham Halasa, a mourner inside the church, said heavy gunfire erupted about 15 minutes after the service began. He stated that others told him they saw four attackers, though the Associated Press could not independently confirm the number. Jordan’s security services did not immediately provide details on the assailants' identities.

King Abdullah II wrote on X that Jordan will confront the act with the harshest penalties. He sent condolences to the families of the martyrs and wished the wounded recovery. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, speaking at a security meeting in Karak on Friday evening, attributed the attack to terrorist ideology and blind extremism. He announced that legal measures would be taken against those seeking to introduce extremism. The kingdom declared three days of national mourning.

Regional leaders and international figures issued condemnations. Ahmed al-Tayeb, grand imam of Al-Azhar in Cairo, called the shooting a heinous terrorist attack. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein phoned his Jordanian counterpart to affirm Iraq’s solidarity. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the attack as especially heinous because it occurred during a funeral. His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said the Secretary-General called for all responsible parties to be found and held to account.

Karak has a minority Christian population and has experienced deadly violence in the past. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in the town, including at a Crusader castle. Those attacks killed ten people, seven of them officers, and wounded dozens. Security forces killed the gunmen after a long standoff.

The next scheduled event is the ongoing investigation into the Karak attack, with authorities continuing to search for the perpetrators.