Jordan Searches for Three Gunmen

Jordanian security forces are hunting three gunmen who escaped after attacking a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud on Friday afternoon. The assault occurred during a funeral service and left eight people dead and dozens injured.

According to the Ministry of Health, seven victims died at the scene while an eighth, a woman, succumbed to her injuries hours later. Forty people sustained wounds, with 27 currently hospitalized. The director of Prince Ali Military Hospital in Karak reported that one patient remains in critical condition following surgery.

Survivors described a chaotic sequence of events. Witnesses reported hearing an explosion shortly after the service began. Two attackers arrived in a vehicle, joined by a third man carrying a semi-automatic rifle. They entered the church and fired for several minutes. Nasser al-Burqan, a lawyer who survived, stated that one attacker stood about two meters away and fired a handgun at him. His son, who was also inside, later called to say he had been shot in the leg.

Tarek Ammarin, who was visiting an injured relative at the church, described the incident as a massacre. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan labeled the attack a product of terrorist ideology and blind extremism. Interior Minister Mazin Al-Farrayeh blamed a group of extremists but did not name a specific organization. The attackers remain unidentified, and authorities refer to them as unknown assailants.

King Abdullah II ordered a review of security procedures for responding to terrorist attacks. He pledged that those responsible would face the harshest penalties. The prime minister declared three days of national mourning, with flags at half-mast over public buildings.

Karak governorate, located 120 kilometers south of Amman, is home to many of Jordan's 300,000 Christians. Taylor Luck, a senior Middle East correspondent, noted that the community has lived alongside Muslims for generations. He said the attack may strengthen interfaith solidarity rather than divide the population.

International condolences arrived from Azerbaijan, Iraq, Poland, Palestine, and Qatar. Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Cairo's Al-Azhar, called the event a heinous terrorist attack. The United States embassy in Jordan also expressed its condolences to the victims and survivors.