Armed men opened fire at an Orthodox Christian church in Jordan, killing at least seven parishioners and wounding dozens more, according to authorities.
The gunmen arrived at a Greek Orthodox church in the Christian village of Hamoud in Karak governorate during a funeral on Friday, at which point they opened fire. The gunmen entered the church and continued their massacre for several minutes before fleeing, ultimately killing at least seven people and wounding at least 34, most of whom were hospitalized, according to the director of Jordan’s Public Security Directorate, Obaidullah al Maaytah.
Jordanian King Abdullah II condemned the shooting as a “terrorist attack” and vowed to respond with “the harshest retaliation.”
“Those who delude themselves into thinking that they can divide Jordanians with their bullets have no chance in the face of our unity,” he said Friday on X. “All Jordanians, from north to south, are partners in land and fate, and nothing stands between them. Our deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured.”
“Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation,” the king added.
People in the church at the time of the shooting told al Mamlaka that around 150-200 people were at the funeral procession during the attack and that one of the assailants carried a pistol, while another carried a rifle.
Authorities have not confirmed how many gunmen carried out the attack, but security camera footage appeared to show three.
The attack was particularly uncommon as Jordan is renowned for its relative stability in the unstable region. Jordan’s Christians are well integrated into the country’s society, and unlike in most of the Muslim world, they enjoy a high degree of freedom and have good relations with their Muslim countrymen. Jordan’s high religious tolerance has given it a prominent role in international negotiations with Israel, being entrusted with managing Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.
Jordanian Interior Minister Mazen al Faraya said the “terrorist” attack was “unprecedented” in Jordan’s history.
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“This country will never be dragged into terrorism and violence,” he said, adding that “Jordanians have never seen something like this before.”
Christianity’s presence in Jordan dates back to the time of the Apostles, with the Christian population forming an unbroken chain to its earliest days. Jordan is estimated to have 250,000-400,000 Christians in a nation of 10 million people. While making up just around 3% of the population today, they made up 20% in 1930. The decline proportionally, despite growing in absolute numbers, was driven by high Palestinian immigration, Christian emigration, and high Muslim birthrates.