Jordan Detains Three Gunmen After Fatal Church Attack Leaves Eight Dead
Security forces wounded all three suspects during a three-hour standoff in Karak, where 40 people were injured during a funeral.
By Maya Desai ·
Jordanian authorities captured three armed men on Monday after a multi-day manhunt for the gunmen responsible for a deadly shooting at a Greek Orthodox church. State media reported that security forces located the suspects hiding in an abandoned house in the village of Al-Jadeeda, Karak governorate. The men resisted arrest and exchanged fire with officers, resulting in injuries for all three before their detention.
The attack occurred on Friday during a funeral service in the village of Hamoud, located approximately 120 kilometers southwest of Amman. Three gunmen opened fire on the congregation, killing eight people and injuring 40 others. As of Monday, 27 of the injured remained hospitalized. The director of Prince Ali Military Hospital in Karak indicated that one patient was still in critical condition following surgery. No members of the security force were reported injured during the subsequent capture operation.
Government Communication Minister Mohammad Momani confirmed the details of the arrest in a post on the social platform X. He described the operation as a successful joint effort and verified that the suspects were detained after refusing to surrender. A statement from the Public Security Directorate, carried by state media, noted that the clash lasted about three hours. The directorate added that a search of the location yielded firearms and live ammunition.
A Jordanian government source told Al Jazeera that the suspects sustained serious wounds during the confrontation. The source specified that one individual was in critical condition. The Public Security Directorate did not identify a specific group linked to the attackers in its official statement. It characterized the event as an act of terrorism, stating that the suspects had met their just fate.
King Abdullah II addressed the victims' families and ordered a review of national security procedures for responding to such attacks. He stated that those responsible would face the harshest penalties. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said authorities are examining the circumstances that lead young people to embrace violence. He emphasized that anyone found to have participated in the attack would be held accountable.
The Karak governorate is a center for Jordan's Christian minority. This religious group numbers approximately 300,000 individuals within the country's total population of 11.5 million. The security forces completed their search of the area after securing the three suspects and the recovered weapons.
Source: Al Jazeera
