Seven killed, 34 wounded in five-minute shooting at Jordanian church

Seven people died and 34 were injured when gunmen opened fire on a funeral service in southern Jordan on Friday.

The attack occurred in the village of Hammoud, located in the Karak governorate, 110 miles south of Amman. Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya announced the casualty count at a press conference. He identified the attackers as a group of extremists.

Karak has hosted a large Christian population for years, making the assault rare in the majority Sunni Muslim kingdom. The public security directorate reported that the assailants arrived in a vehicle. They exited during the funeral procession and entered the compound of the Greek Orthodox church.

State broadcaster Al-Mamlaka aired footage showing two men in casual clothing holding pistols and a third carrying a long gun. The video captured them firing from a street entrance before moving into the building. An eyewitness told the broadcaster that the shooting lasted five minutes without pause before the attackers fled.

The witness estimated that 150 to 200 people were inside or near the church at the time. Most of the victims were between 50 and 70 years old. Security forces have launched a manhunt to capture the perpetrators.

King Abdullah II posted on social media that Jordan would strike with an iron fist against those threatening the nation. He described every Jordanian life as precious and promised the harshest retaliation. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the only Christian head of state in the Arab world, condemned the event in a statement. He called it a heinous terrorist attack aimed at spreading strife and striking at coexistence.

The region has experienced violence before. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in Karak, including at a Crusader castle. Ten people died in that incident, seven of them officers. Jordanian security forces killed the attackers after a lengthy standoff. Minister of Government Communications Mohammed Al-Momani said authorities are currently investigating the Friday attack.