Jordan raises Karak church attack toll to 40 wounded

Updated casualty toll

Jordanian authorities said seven people were killed and 40 wounded when gunmen opened fire on Friday during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in the southern province of Karak. Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said two of the wounded were in critical condition.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan declared three days of mourning, with flags to be lowered to half-staff at government and public buildings. King Abdullah II promised a forceful response and offered condolences to the victims’ families.

Gunfire at a funeral

Authorities said the shooting targeted Christians attending a funeral in the town of Hmoud. Tamer Halasa told Al-Mamlaka television that two people got out of a vehicle and began shooting near people standing outside the church. He estimated that more than 150 mourners were inside and outside the building.

Footage shown on Jordanian state television appeared to show two people carrying pistols firing as they approached the church, followed by a third person with what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle. Another witness told Al-Mamlaka that one attacker carried an AK-47-style rifle and that the gunfire continued for several minutes.

A witness interviewed by CNN said attackers fired toward the church courtyard, where many mourners were gathered. She said she survived by hiding behind the altar with others. Reports differed on the precise number of assailants, with DW citing authorities as saying two unidentified men opened fire.

Attackers still sought

Jordan’s public security agency said in its latest reported update that the unidentified gunmen had not been captured. A government statement said the assailants were unknown and that the investigation was proceeding urgently.

The public security agency described the shooting as a terrorist attack. Hassan attributed it to extremist ideology, while the king also called it a terrorist act. No independent motive or affiliation for the attackers had been established in the latest reports.