Gunmen opened fire on mourners at a church funeral in southern Jordan on Friday, killing at least seven people in a rare attack on the country’s Christian minority that has raised fresh questions about security in the country.
The attack took place at the Hamoud Church, a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud in Karak governorate, south of the capital, Amman. Jordan’s health minister said 40 people were wounded, most of whom were still receiving treatment, Reuters reported.
Witness Khaled Burqan told Reuters that dozens of people were attending the funeral when the gunmen began shooting, and that the firing lasted several minutes.
Security camera footage aired by state-owned broadcaster Al-Mamlaka, which Reuters verified, showed three people firing from a pavement while sheltering behind trees and a low wall, before running towards the church entrance.
Major General Abdallah al-Maaytah, head of Jordan’s Public Security Directorate, described the shooting as a terrorist act carried out by extremists and said the hunt for the attackers was continuing. No group has claimed responsibility.
Interior Minister Mazin al-Farrayeh said it was too early to determine whether the attackers had links to known groups inside or outside Jordan.
King Abdullah II visited Karak after the attack and vowed that those responsible would be punished harshly. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan condemned the shooting as the product of terrorist ideology and extremism.
The attack also drew condemnation from Jordan’s Minister of Islamic Affairs, Mohammad Khalayleh, and several members of parliament.
Abroad, UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned it as especially heinous, and U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz called it a brutal attack on a house of worship.
Christians make up a small minority of Jordan’s population, and most belong to the Greek Orthodox Church. The community has a guaranteed quota of seats in parliament, and the country is home to several biblical sites that draw Christian pilgrims, according to Reuters.
Karak, a historic city known for its Crusader-era castle, has been targeted before. In December 2016, gunmen attacked security patrols and a police station before taking shelter in Karak Castle, a popular tourist site. T
en people were killed, including seven members of the security forces, two Jordanian civilians and a Canadian tourist. Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack.
Jordan, a close U.S. ally, is regarded as relatively stable in a volatile region, and attacks of this kind are extremely rare. Jordanian authorities say they have foiled a number of attempted attacks by Islamist militants in recent years
However, the kingdom has faced mounting pressure this year. It was among the U.S. allies in the region hit by Iranian strikes after the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in February.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks even as the perpetrators remain at large.
Gunmen opened fire on mourners at a church funeral in southern Jordan on Friday, killing at least seven people in a rare attack on the country&rsqu...
Foreign ministers meeting in Istanbul on Friday warned that renewed military strikes on Iran could deepen the regional conflict, urging diplomatic ...
Georgia’s Constitutional Court has extended hearings in a case seeking to ban five opposition parties, with proceedings now set to continue u...
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on Dammam airport, while Iran's IRGC Navy claimed strikes on seven vessels and warned the U.S. of a wider response.
Israeli military bulldozers have begun demolishing buildings in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, 23 October, following armed clashes with Palestinians that left two Israeli soldiers dead, according to the Israeli military.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Super typhoon Champi is set to batter Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture from Friday (23 October), bringing violent winds, torrential rain and waves up to 11 metres high, as airlines cancel flights and organisers scrap a major festival.
A powerful magnitude 7 earthquake has struck Tibet in southwestern China, killing 16 people and injuring 65, while forcing more than 12,000 residents to relocate as rescue teams respond to widespread aftershocks.
Armenian authorities have detained 10 more people in a vote-buying investigation involving the opposition Strong Armenia party, just two days before local elections in the northern town of Stepanavan.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met India’s Minister of External Affairs in Baku for talks on strengthening bilateral relations, with a focus on trade, investment, energy and technology.
Israeli military bulldozers have begun demolishing buildings in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, 23 October, following armed clashes with Palestinians that left two Israeli soldiers dead, according to the Israeli military.
Greece’s parliament has passed a bill banning under-15s from using social media from 1 January 2027, as the country steps up efforts to protect children online. The new law will require platforms to enforce age restrictions.
France's Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on Friday that 70,000 security forces would be mobilised throughout the country to keep order on Saturday, adding there have been calls for looting and violence from the ultra-left.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment