Jafar Hassan orders national search after Karak church shooting

Nine people died and 40 others sustained injuries when three gunmen opened fire inside St George's Greek Orthodox Church in Karak, Jordan, on Friday. The assault, which occurred during a funeral service, marked a rare violent incident directed at the country's Christian population. Jordanian authorities have classified the event as a terrorist act executed by extremists.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan ordered a nationwide search for the attackers within hours of the shooting. He stated on X that the violence resulted from terrorist ideology and blind extremism, asserting that society would not be allowed to follow that path. King Abdullah traveled to Karak shortly after the incident and declared that the perpetrators would be punished with an iron fist. He warned that those attempting to divide Jordanians with bullets would fail against national unity.

Maj Gen Abdallah al-Maaytah, head of the Public Security Directorate, confirmed that most of the wounded were receiving medical treatment. He indicated that the search for the three suspects was ongoing. Health Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh set the number of injured at 40. Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh described the attackers as extremists but noted it was too early to determine if they had ties to specific organizations inside or outside Jordan. No group had claimed responsibility as of the latest reports.

Footage from a security camera at the church, broadcast by state television, showed three individuals firing from a pavement area. They took cover behind trees and a low wall before running toward the church entrance. Reuters verified the video by matching the entry path and surrounding structural details. Khaled Burqan, a funeral attendee, told state television that the gunmen fired for several minutes while dozens of people were present inside.

Witnesses described a scene of immediate panic. Priest Theodoros Soueiss said he and others instructed the congregation to get down. He noted that a sense of panic took hold and that the gunfire was indiscriminate. Ihab Ammareen, another witness, described seeing bloodied individuals collapse on the floor. He said people were crying, wailing, and screaming, making the event difficult to describe.

Following the attack, security forces were deployed at the church entrance, where blood was visible on the floor. The US embassy in Amman announced on Saturday that security measures had been increased at malls, foreign embassies, and other locations across Jordan. The United Nations Secretary General António Guterres condemned the violence, stating that attacks on civilians and places of worship are unacceptable. Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, called the incident a depraved and brutal attack on a house of worship.

Jordan is generally considered stable, though US authorities have reported foiling attempted attacks by Islamist militants in recent years. The country was targeted by Iranian attacks earlier this year after US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Christians remain a minority in Jordan, a nation that hosts several biblical sites attracting international pilgrims. Outside a government hospital in Karak, Hani Al-Mbaydeen expressed shock. He urged the state to investigate where such dark ideas originate and how they enter the minds of the country's children.