Jordan launches manhunt after church funeral shooting kills seven
Rare violence threatens a long-standing sense of Christian safety in Jordan.
Overview
Seven people were killed and 34 wounded when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a in Hamoud, in Jordan’s . The attackers arrived by vehicle, shot at mourners, and fled. Most wounded people remained in hospital, and some were in critical condition. Jordan’s began a manhunt and inquiry, but officials had announced no arrests or confirmed suspects.
Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya called the attackers extremists. Officials had not found a motive or links to any group in Jordan or abroad. No group claimed responsibility. Attacks on are rare, so the shooting raised fears about safety in the community. Investigators are trying to learn whether it was a lone attack or part of a wider extremist network.
Timeline
The attack marked an unusual mass assault on Jordan’s Christian minority
The shooting targeted a church in Jordan, a majority Sunni Muslim country with a longstanding Christian minority. News reports described the incident as a rare attack on Christians in the kingdom. That characterization explains the attack’s unusual significance, but does not by itself establish a religious motive or organizational link.
No group immediately claimed responsibility as authorities pursued unidentified attackers
Reports said no group had immediately claimed responsibility for the church funeral shooting. Authorities described the attackers as unidentified and said investigations and a manhunt were underway; officials said it was too early to determine links to known groups.
Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya described the attackers as extremists
Al-Faraya characterized the perpetrators as a group of during a press conference. The statement was an initial official description, not a confirmed attribution to a named organization. Authorities had not publicly established whether the attackers belonged to a domestic or foreign extremist network.
Jordan’s Public Security Directorate launched a manhunt and formal investigation
Security forces deployed around the church and began searching for the fleeing attackers. Public Security Director said the hunt was ongoing and that authorities were investigating the shooting. Early reports did not announce arrests or publicly identify confirmed suspects.
Jordanian authorities confirmed seven deaths and 34 injuries in the church attack
The Public Security Directorate reported that seven people were killed and 34 were wounded. Most of the injured remained under treatment, with 27 reported to be receiving hospital care in one account. Reports described some injuries as critical, but no later outcome for those victims was confirmed in the available coverage.
Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at Hamoud Greek Orthodox Church in Karak
Assailants reportedly arrived by vehicle, got out, and opened fire during a funeral procession at the church in Hamoud village. They then fled the scene, according to Jordan’s and state broadcaster reports. Initial accounts identified the attackers as gunmen, but did not establish their identities or affiliations.