On a Friday afternoon in Karak, a town of Jordan's small Christian community about 180 kilometres south of Amman, a funeral service at a Greek Orthodox church was shattered when gunmen opened fire. Seven people are dead and forty wounded, and a kingdom that has known such violence before once again finds itself in mourning. The attackers remain unidentified, their numbers still disputed, and the nation's answer so far has been a vow of harsh punishment, a voice of grief echoed across the region. What the coming days will reveal is whether those who did this can be found, and whether the wounde
Seven killed, 40 wounded as gunmen attack church funeral in Jordan's Karak
Seven people were killed and 40 wounded, two of them in critical condition, during a funeral at a church in Karak.
Fifteen minutes into the funeral, the gunfire began.
Mark
Seven dead at a funeral. What do we actually know about what happened?
Mimi
Authorities say seven were killed and 40 wounded at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak. State television footage shows two men with what look like pistols firing, then a third with a semiautomatic rifle joining in, and all three running toward the church.
Luke
Worth being careful there: the footage "appears" to show those weapons. That's the description of a broadcast, not a ballistics finding.
Mark
And the number of attackers?
Mimi
One mourner, Dorgham Halasa, said others told him four. He didn't see them himself.
Luke
Right, so three on video, four by secondhand account. The AP couldn't verify either, and security services haven't said.
Mark
The government calls it terrorism. Is that established?
Mimi
The prime minister said it came from terrorist ideology and blind extremism, and the king used the word terrorist too. Those are official characterisations.
Luke
But the same government statement says the assailants are unknown. So the label is stated before any motive or identity has been made public.
Mark
Why does Karak carry extra weight here?
Mimi
In 2016 gunmen attacked police there, including at the Crusader castle, and ten people died. It's a place with a recent memory of this.
Luke
Though nothing reported links the two events. The history is context, not a connection.
Mark
What should we watch?
Mimi
Arrests, names, and whether the two critically wounded pull through.
Luke
And whether the toll changes. Seven and 40 are the authorities' figures as of now.
O Pulso
- Gunfire erupted about fifteen minutes into a funeral service, sending mourners fleeing from the church in panic.
- Three gunmen, possibly four by witness accounts, moved on the church, and video shows shattered glass and blood across the floor.
- Authorities have named the attack as terrorism by unknown assailants, with no word yet on arrests or deaths among the attackers.
- King Abdullah II and the prime minister have pledged the harshest penalties, and Jordan has declared three days of national mourning.
- Two of the forty wounded are in critical condition, and the outcome of their care will shape how the death toll is ultimately counted.
- Karak's memory of the 2016 ambush that killed ten, seven of them officers, hangs over the search for answers.
On a Friday afternoon in Karak, a town of Jordan's small Christian community about 180 kilometres south of Amman, a funeral service at a Greek Orthodox church was shattered when gunmen opened fire. Seven people are dead and forty wounded, and a kingdom that has known such violence before once again finds itself in mourning. The attackers remain unidentified, their numbers still disputed, and the nation's answer so far has been a vow of harsh punishment, a voice of grief echoed across the region. What the coming days will reveal is whether those who did this can be found, and whether the wounded will return to the lives they were living before the gunfire.
The gunfire began fifteen minutes into a funeral service at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, Jordan, on Friday. Dorgham Halasa, among the mourners inside, remembers the sound as intense, and people running almost at once. He did not see the attackers himself, though others told him there were four. Authorities say seven people were killed and forty wounded.
Karak, about 180 kilometres south of Amman, is home to a minority Christian population. Jordanian state television broadcast footage of two gunmen with pistols approaching the church and firing, followed by a third man with a semiautomatic rifle. Witness video shows broken glass and pools of blood on the church floor. The government has described the attackers only as "unknown assailants" and says investigations are moving "at full speed," but has not said whether anyone was captured or killed.
Health minister Ibrahim al-Budour said two of the wounded are in critical condition, and Jordan declared three days of national mourning. King Abdullah II vowed the attack would be met with the harshest penalties and honored those he called martyrs. Prime minister Jafar Hassan blamed terrorist ideology and blind extremism and promised legal measures against those who would spread it.
Condemnation arrived from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Oman, Iraq and beyond. Al-Azhar's grand imam called it a heinous terrorist attack, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged that those responsible be found and held to account.
Karak has known this kind of violence before. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police across the town, including at a tourist-favored Crusader castle, killing ten people, seven of them officers. For now, the questions that matter most are who carried out this attack, how many there were, whether any are in custody, and whether the two critically wounded will survive.
Fifteen minutes into a funeral service at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, Jordan, on Friday, the gunfire began. Dorgham Halasa, who was among the mourners inside, said it was intense, and that people started running almost at once. "It was a weird situation, and heavy gunfire," he said. Authorities say seven people were killed and 40 others wounded.
Karak lies about 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of the capital, Amman, and is home to a minority Christian population. Footage broadcast on Jordanian state television shows two gunmen who appear to be holding pistols approaching the church and firing. A third man, who appears to be carrying a semiautomatic rifle, then approaches and opens fire, and all three run toward the church. Video taken by witnesses shows broken glass and pools of blood on the church floor.
Halasa did not see the attackers himself, but said other people told him there were four. The Associated Press could not independently verify how many assailants there were, and Jordan's security services did not immediately release details. A government statement said the attack was carried out by "unknown assailants." It did not say whether any gunmen had been captured or killed, only that investigations were under way "at full speed."
Health minister Ibrahim al-Budour said two of the wounded are in critical condition. Jordan declared three days of national mourning, according to the kingdom's Petra news agency.
King Abdullah II wrote on X that Jordan "will confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties." He offered condolences to the families of those he called martyrs and wished the wounded a recovery. Prime minister Jafar Hassan, speaking at a security meeting in Karak on Friday evening, said the attack stemmed from terrorist ideology and blind extremism. He said the assailants would be punished and that legal measures would be taken against those who seek to introduce extremism.
Condemnation came from across the region, including Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Oman. Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar in Cairo, the Sunni Muslim world's foremost religious institution, called it a "heinous terrorist attack" and offered condolences to the victims' families. Iraqi foreign minister Fuad Hussein phoned his Jordanian counterpart and affirmed Iraq's solidarity with Jordan against terrorism, his office said. UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned an attack during a funeral as "especially heinous," according to spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, and called for those responsible to be found and held to account.
Karak has seen violence of this kind before. In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks there, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists. Ten people were killed, seven of them officers, and dozens were wounded. Jordanian security forces killed those gunmen after a long standoff.
What remains unanswered is who carried out Friday's attack, how many of them there were, and whether any are in custody. Also to be watched is whether the two critically wounded survive.
Citações Notáveis
Jordan will confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties.— King Abdullah II, on X
It was a weird situation, and heavy gunfire.— Dorgham Halasa, mourner inside the church
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Crime & Justice