Gunmen kill seven at church funeral in Jordan's Karak
Seven mourners were shot dead at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, officials say, as King Abdullah II vows the 'harshest' response and a manhunt continues.
Karak — Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hammoud, in Jordan's Karak governorate, on Friday, killing at least seven people and wounding many more, authorities said. No one has claimed responsibility, and a manhunt for the attackers is under way.
According to South China Morning Post, the assailants got out of a vehicle and started shooting during the funeral procession, in what authorities described as a rare attack on Christians in the majority Sunni Muslim kingdom. The wounded toll has varied across official statements: Jordan's public security directorate put it at around 10, some critically, while BBC News reported at least 34 injured. The death toll itself was revised twice before officials settled again on seven.
An eyewitness told the state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka that the gunmen fired continuously for five minutes before fleeing, The Hindu reported. Between 150 and 200 people were in and around the church at the time, the witness said, with most of the victims aged between 50 and 70. CCTV footage verified by the BBC appears to show three armed men moving toward the church.
Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya described the perpetrators as a "group of extremists" and called the attack "painful and horrific" and unparalleled in the kingdom's history. King Abdullah II said the "terrorist attack against Karak will be met with the harshest retaliation", and later visited the wounded in hospital under tightened security.
Karak has a sizeable Christian community, and such violence is rare in Jordan, though the country has suffered deadly attacks in the past. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun, a Christian head of state, condemned what he called the "heinous terrorist attack", saying it violated the sanctity of mourners, according to Lebanese media.
Outside the hospital treating the injured, roads were closed and families gathered in anger and grief, some voicing frustration at what they described as a failure to take a tougher approach towards militants. For now, Karak waits for the manhunt to produce answers: who carried out the attack, and why a funeral was chosen as its target.
Sources
This article is based on reporting from:
