Thousands of mourners gathered in the southern Jordanian town of Karak on Sunday for the funerals of victims of Friday’s gun attack on a funeral at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in the nearby village of Hamoud, as security forces continued to hunt the three gunmen and the kingdom observed three days of national mourning.
Coffins wrapped in Jordanian flags were carried through the crowds. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan attended the service, representing King Abdullah II, and government ministers and senior military and civilian officials were present. Priests led prayers while security personnel stood guard around the church.
What Happened On Friday
Three gunmen opened fire on Friday during a funeral at the Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud, in Karak governorate south of the capital, Amman. Security-camera footage aired by state television showed three armed men approaching the church and firing. Father Yohanna Hamati, the parish priest, said about 170 to 200 people were at the church when the shooting began outside, and witnesses described panic as mourners rushed inside for cover.
One survivor, Sahar al-Halsa, said she sheltered behind a pillar as gunfire erupted, and later found her cousin wounded before he died. Witnesses said the shooting lasted several minutes. Most of the victims were aged between 50 and 70, according to local accounts carried in the reporting.
The Toll, In Two Versions
The number of dead is reported differently across the coverage, and both versions are printed here. The funerals held on Sunday were for eight victims. The Jordan Times reported that the toll had risen to nine on Saturday, and that the ninth victim, Mohammed al-Qasous, was due to be buried on Monday, according to his family. The wounded number 40 in the reporting from both versions.
The Manhunt
By Sunday, no arrest had been announced. Jordanian authorities have described the attack as extremist terrorism and launched an extensive manhunt across the governorate. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya called the killings a terrorist attack by an extremist group, while officials said investigators had not established whether the gunmen were linked to any known armed group. Officials say no group has claimed responsibility. One outlet, All Israel News, reported that ISIS had claimed responsibility; that claim appears in that outlet’s reporting only and has not been confirmed by Jordanian officials.
King Abdullah visited some of the wounded in hospital on Friday and promised a forceful response, saying that “treacherous bullets” could not divide Jordanians. The king pledged the harshest penalties for those responsible.
Mourning Across The Kingdom
Jordan is observing three days of mourning. Patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem described the attack as “a grave crime against God and humanity,” and church bells rang across Jordan and Palestine on Saturday in solidarity with the victims. Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun called the shooting a “heinous terrorist attack” and said terrorism has no religion and no homeland.
Karak is home to a Christian minority within Jordan’s Sunni Muslim majority, and deadly attacks of this kind are rare in the kingdom. The United States embassy in Amman said security had been stepped up at malls, embassies and other locations across Jordan, and told U.S. citizens to expect a higher police presence.
Sources: Associated Press reporting; CNN; Jordan Times; All Israel News.
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