Gunmen stormed a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud, in Karak governorate, about 120 kilometres south of Amman, and opened fire on those present during a funeral on Friday. Seven people were killed and 34 wounded, according to the director of Jordan's Public Security Directorate, Obaidullah al-Maaytah. Twenty-seven of the wounded remained in hospital.
It is one of the deadliest attacks on civilians recorded in the country in a decade — and the first in years to target a church.
Minutes of gunfire during the procession
Survivors said an explosion marked the start of the attack, with the funeral procession already under way, and that the gunmen then entered the church grounds and fired for several minutes. Khaled Burqan, who was there, told Al Jazeera that one attacker carried a pistol and the other a rifle. Another witness told CBS News that the shooting lasted about five minutes before the gunmen fled.
The number of attackers is still unclear. Witnesses interviewed by Al Jazeera described two masked men; footage aired by state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka and described by CBS News shows three people — two with pistols and one with a long gun. The Public Security Directorate said the attackers got out of a vehicle, entered the church compound and fired before escaping.
Between 150 and 200 people were inside the church or nearby at the time, according to CBS News, and most of the victims were between 50 and 70 years old.
"Unprecedented"
Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya described the attack as "terrorist" and "unprecedented" at a press conference, without attributing it to any group. As of Saturday morning, no organisation had claimed responsibility.
King Abdullah II promised the "harshest retaliation" against those responsible and wrote on social media that Jordan would "strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation". Minister of Government Communications Mohammed al-Momani said security forces were investigating. Al-Maaytah said the manhunt was continuing and that the perpetrators would be caught.
A small community and a precedent in the same region
Karak is home to one of the kingdom's most significant Christian communities in a Muslim-majority country, according to CBS News — which is why attacks of this kind are described as rare there.
The region has seen similar violence before: in 2016, gunmen attacked police in Karak and killed ten people, seven of them security officers. Jordanian forces killed the gunmen after a prolonged standoff, also according to CBS News.
International reaction
The United Arab Emirates' foreign ministry condemned the attack as terrorist and criminal. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned it through his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called the episode a "heinous terrorist attack".
With information from Al Jazeera, CBS News and Jordanian state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka.
