Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, Jordan, on Friday, killing nine people and wounding about 40 in a rare Jordan church attack. The assault on the Christian minority prompted King Abdullah to order a tough response, according to Dawn and The Hindu.
According to Dawn, the gunmen fired for several minutes in broad daylight at Saint George’s Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate, about 120km southwest of Amman.
The death toll rose to nine after a second critically wounded casualty died on Saturday, according to health minister Ibrahim al-Bdour, who told AFP. The Hindu reported the figure citing the minister. Dawn also reports nine people killed. NPR World’s headline and short excerpt give a figure of seven, but the timing of that count is not stated, and its full account could not be checked.
About 40 people were wounded, and the health minister said another 25 remain hospitalised, according to Dawn.
King Abdullah ordered security forces on Saturday to respond with an "iron fist" and said there was no room for leniency, according to the royal court, as reported by Dawn.
Prime Minister Jafar Hassan ordered three days of national mourning from Friday, with flags flown at half-mast, according to The Hindu.
Security was stepped up at malls, foreign embassies and other locations across Jordan, the US embassy in Amman said, according to Dawn.
Christians make up between two and three percent of Jordan’s population, a Muslim-majority kingdom, and Karak has a significant Christian community. Such attacks are highly unusual in Jordan, a relatively stable state and a major US partner in the fight against militant groups. Dawn also reports that Jordan has been hit by Iranian attacks this year, after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February.
No group has claimed responsibility. Officials said it is too early to determine whether the attackers had links to known groups, according to Dawn.
Authorities are searching for the gunmen, and security services are working round the clock. The king has vowed justice and retaliation. The national mourning period runs for three days, and 25 wounded people remain in hospital.
Most details come from Dawn, with The Hindu and AFP carrying the death toll, so the nine-death figure has no independent confirmation beyond the health minister’s statement. The church and the attackers’ side have not responded. Reports do not establish the gunmen’s identities, their number, or a motive, and The Hindu gives Friday’s date as both October 23 and October 24 in different places.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.