Photo: Petar Milošević / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
At least six people were killed and 28 injured on Friday (October 23) when two gunmen opened fire on mourners at a funeral in a Greek Orthodox church in Hammoud, a village in Jordan’s southern Karak governorate, according to the Jordanian government. The attackers fled the scene, and security forces have launched a search for them.
What happened at the funeral
Witnesses told Jordan’s state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka that a vehicle pulled up near the church as the funeral procession was getting under way. Two men got out, one carrying a rifle and the other a pistol, and began firing at the crowd. Some survivors said they first heard what sounded like an explosion before the gunfire started.
One witness said between 150 and 200 people were inside and around the church at the time, and that the shooting went on for several minutes before the attackers drove away. Most of those hit were older people, he said, many of them aged between 50 and 70.
Casualty figures still shifting
Early figures varied. An initial statement from the Public Security Directorate put the toll at at least seven dead and around 10 wounded, some of them critically. Government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani later gave the number as six killed and 28 injured. Officials have said a final toll will be released once it is verified.
Al-Momani described the attack as heinous and said security forces were investigating at the scene. Roads into and out of the governorate have been closed as part of the hunt, according to local media. The Public Security Directorate has warned people not to circulate unverified information about the shooting and said violations could lead to legal action.
No group has claimed responsibility, and the authorities have not said who they believe carried out the attack or why.
Why it matters
Attacks of this kind are rare in Jordan, a majority-Muslim country of about 1.15 crore people where Christians are a small but long-established minority, estimated at around three lakh. Karak is home to a sizeable Christian community that has lived alongside Muslim neighbours for generations.
The region has been targeted before. In 2016, gunmen linked to the Islamic State group attacked the area and took position in Karak’s Crusader-era castle, killing 10 people, including security personnel and a Canadian tourist, before Jordanian forces killed them.
The shooting is also sensitive for the kingdom’s image abroad. Jordan’s royal family acts as custodian of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and King Abdullah II has long been a vocal critic of attacks on religious sites in the occupied Palestinian territories.
What happens next
Interior ministry officials are expected to brief reporters on the investigation. The immediate focus is on tracking down the two attackers and confirming the final number of dead and injured, some of whom were reported to be in a critical condition.
