Seven killed in attack at church funeral in Jordan

Seven people were killed and 34 injured on Friday when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in Jordan's Karak governorate, the head of the country's Public Security Directorate told reporters.

Speaking at a press conference in Karak, Major General Abdallah al-Maaytah said most of those wounded in the shooting at the Hamoud Church in Karak were still receiving treatment, and that the hunt for the attackers was ongoing.

Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh said the attack had been carried out by "extremists", but that it was too early to tell whether they had any links to known groups either inside or outside Jordan.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Khaled Burqan, who was at the funeral, told state-owned Al-Mamlaka television station that dozens of people were present and that the gunmen opened fire on them for several minutes.

Ihab Ammareen, another witness, told the station that he saw bloodied people collapse on the floor after the attack. "People were crying, wailing, screaming — it's hard to describe," he told the station.

Jordan's King Abdullah visited Karak hours after the attack and said the perpetrators would be punished "with an iron fist".

"The terrorist attack against Karak will be met with the harshest retaliation. Those who delude themselves into thinking that they can divide Jordanians with their bullets have no chance in the face of our unity," he said in a statement.

Christians make up a minority of Jordan's population. The country is home to several biblical sites that attract Christian pilgrims from around the world.

Jordan's Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Mohammad Khalayleh and several members of Jordan's parliament condemned the attack in comments to Al-Mamlaka.

King: We will confront terrorist act targeted Karak with severest penaltieshttps://t.co/YhP2btm5ps#Jordan
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— Jordan News Agency (Petra)-English News (@PetranewsEN) October 23, 2026