Earlier today, Hamoud Church in Karak, Jordan, was hosting a funeral attended by dozens of people when gunmen opened fire in an attack that lasted several minutes. The Jerusalem Post reports that at least seven people were killed, and 10 others were injured in the shooting. The perpetrators fled the scene, and Jordanian security authorities are searching for them.
Khaled Burqan, a man who had been attending the funeral, told Al-Mamlaka that dozens of people had been attending the funeral and two men — one carrying a rifle and another carrying a pistol — opened fire on them for several minutes.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, and Jordanian authorities did not say who was responsible.
King Abdullah of Jordan condemned the shooting and warned that “the authorities will severely punish those responsible for the terrorist attack.”
Such attacks are extremely rare in Jordan, which is relatively stable but has been increasingly targeted by Iranian attacks this year since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February.
Jordan’s Interior Ministry reports that CCTV footage showed two gunmen initiating the attack before being joined by a third. Karak is notable for being home to a portion of Jordan’s already small Christian community, which makes up approximately 3% of the country. The city was also the site of an ISIS terrorist attack 10 years ago at the famous Kerak Castle, which killed 14 people and wounded dozens more.
Sadly, Jordan’s Christian population continues to decline amid concerns about persecution and violence. The Fellowship has contacted these communities to determine how we can provide assistance. During this difficult time, we pray for the victims’ families, the recovery of those injured, and the Christian community in Jordan and throughout the Middle East.