Mazen Al-Faraya: Extremists Killed Seven in Hammoud Church Funeral

Mazen Al-Faraya, Jordan's interior minister, said extremists carried out a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hammoud on Friday that killed at least seven people and wounded 34. The public security directorate said assailants drove up to the compound during a funeral procession, stepped out of their vehicle and entered the church grounds before firing. A manhunt for the perpetrators was underway as of Friday.

The attack began when a vehicle carrying the attackers pulled up outside the church. An eyewitness who spoke to the state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka said the gunmen fired without pause for five minutes before escaping. The witness estimated that 150 to 200 people were inside and around the church at the time, and said most of the victims were between 50 and 70 years old. Footage aired by Al-Mamlaka showed two gunmen in casual clothes holding pistols and a third carrying a long gun. They fired from an entrance on the street, then advanced forward.

Mohammed Al-Momani, the minister of government communications, said security forces were investigating. King Abdullah II wrote on social media that he promised the "harshest retaliation" against those responsible, adding, "Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation." Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, described as the only Christian head of state in the Arab world, condemned the shooting as a "hehenous terrorist attack," and said it "reaffirms once again that terrorism has no religion and no homeland, and its aim is to strike at coexistence and spread strife."

Karak lies 110 miles south of the capital, Amman, and has a substantial Christian community. The region has seen violence before: in 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in the area, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists. Ten people were killed in those attacks, seven of them police officers, and dozens more were wounded. Jordanian security forces killed the attackers after a lengthy standoff.

Security forces continued their investigation into Friday's shooting as of the date of this report.