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Two masked gunmen opened fire on mourners at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hmoud in Jordan's Karak governorate on Friday, killing six and wounding 28. A manhunt is underway.
At least six people were killed and 28 wounded when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in southern Jordan on Friday. The attackers fled, and security forces launched a manhunt.
The shooting happened at St. George's Greek Orthodox Church in Hmoud, a predominantly Christian village in the Karak governorate, about 90 miles south of Amman. Between 150 and 200 people were inside and around the church for the funeral of a community member, witnesses told state media.
Two masked men arrived by car and fired for several minutes, witnesses said. One carried a rifle and the other a pistol, according to the state-run broadcaster al-Mamlaka. “We were more than 150 people inside and outside the church,” eyewitness Tamer Halasa told the channel. Security camera footage circulating on social media showed three armed men walking from a road toward the church, though officials described two attackers.
Jordan's Public Security Directorate confirmed six dead and 28 injured. State media had initially reported seven dead before officials revised the number. Most of the dead were between 50 and 70 years old, and some of the wounded are in critical condition.
No group has claimed responsibility. Government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani called the attack “heinous” and said security forces had been deployed to the area. Jordan's prime minister was expected to chair a meeting of the country's Security Council, and interior ministry officials were expected to brief the press.
Attacks of this kind are rare in Jordan. In 2016, Islamic State militants killed 14 people in an attack on the Karak Castle, a tourist site in the same governorate.
