Six people were killed and 28 injured on Friday when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in Jordan's Karak governorate, the country's Public Security Directorate said in a statement. The state-owned Al-Mamlaka television station, which first reported the attack, had earlier reported seven people had been killed.
Source: Reuters
Security forces deployed to the church and were pursuing the suspects, Al-Mamlaka reported. It said the gunmen got out of a vehicle and opened fire during a funeral procession at the Hamoud Church in Karak. Al Jazeera, reporting the same attack, said survivors described two masked gunmen opening fire as dozens of people attended the funeral procession.
Source: Al Jazeera via Reuters reporting
Khaled Burqan, a man who had been attending the funeral, told Al-Mamlaka that dozens of people had been attending and at least two men — one carrying a rifle and another carrying a pistol — opened fire on them for several minutes. A video aired on Al-Mamlaka that appeared to be from a security camera mounted on the church showed three people firing on the church from a sidewalk before running towards its entrance; Reuters said it was able to verify the video from the entry path and wall surrounding the church, as well as other details.
Source: Reuters
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and Jordanian authorities did not say who was responsible. Jordan's King Abdullah called it a terrorist attack and said those behind it 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.
Source: Reuters
What is solid
- Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at the Hamoud Church in Karak governorate on Friday, Jordanian authorities and Al-Mamlaka said
- Security forces deployed and were pursuing the suspects, with no claim of responsibility reported
- King Abdullah condemned the attack and vowed retaliation
What is only claimed
- Death toll: the Public Security Directorate's updated figure is six killed; Al-Mamlaka had earlier reported seven killed
- Number of gunmen: a funeral attendee described at least two men, while Reuters-verified security-camera video appeared to show three people firing
Jordan's Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Mohammad Khalayleh and several members of parliament condemned the attack in comments to Al-Mamlaka, Reuters reported. Such attacks are extremely rare in Jordan, which is relatively stable, though Jordanian authorities say they have repeatedly foiled attempted attacks by Islamist militants in recent years. Christians make up a minority of Jordan's population, and the country is home to several biblical sites that attract Christian pilgrims from around the world.
Source: Reuters