In brief
In the afternoon of Friday, a group of gunmen stormed a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral in Hmoud, Karak governorate, leaving seven dead and dozens injured. CCTV footage shows three armed men in a pickup truck firing into the congregation before fleeing. Jordan’s Interior Minister and King Abdullah II have condemned the assault and vowed to bring the assailants to justice, while local security remains heightened amid community tragedy.
A sudden volley of gunfire erupted during a funeral service at the Greek Orthodox Church in Hmoud, a village in the Karak governorate of Jordan, Saturday afternoon. Seven people were killed and at least 34 others wounded, according to official reports. The attackers, who appear to have been a group of extremists, entered the church in a pickup truck, opened fire before absconding with emergency guns.
CCTV footage, supplied by the BBC, captured the assailants approaching the church from the main road, moving into the rear entrance, and shooting for about fifteen minutes before retreating. The video showed three men, all holding handguns, firing into the pews and into the surrounding courtyard. The gunmen then fled through the church doors, allegedly spraying additional fire from their truck as they made a hasty exit.
The interior minister, Mazen al‑Faraya, described the incident as a “painful and horrific” act that had “unparalleled” in the history of the kingdom. He called the perpetrators a “group of extremists” and announced a full-scale investigation to locate them.
King Abdullah II addressed the nation, declaring that authorities would confront the “terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties.” The King’s visit to the regional hospital, where the wounded were being treated, was accompanied by increased security presence, with roads around the facility temporarily closed to control flow and mitigate panic.
Witnesses described scenes of terror inside the church: people pitched under pews, threw themselves to the ground, cradled the dead, and fled as the gunfire raged. One observer reported that the attack strained for ten minutes, with bodies found strewn across the courtyard once the survivors escaped.
The tragedy has resonated beyond Jordan’s borders. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the violence as “heinous,” stating that the attack “violated the sanctity of death and mourners” and contravened all humanitarian values. Within Jordan, the Christian community in Karak—representing a sizable minority in a predominantly Muslim nation—expressed profound grief and demanded stronger measures against terrorism.
The incident remains the most serious attack on a religious site in Jordan in recent years, shattering the sense of safety that had prevailed. Authorities now maintain heightened vigilance across the region as investigations continue.
