Mazen al-Faraya: Seven Dead After 15-Minute Gunfight at Karak Church

Gunmen killed seven people and injured at least 34 others during a 15-minute assault on a funeral service at a church in Hmoud, Jordan. The violence occurred in the Karak governorate on Friday, marking one of the deadliest incidents in the country in recent years.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya addressed the public to confirm the casualties. He identified the perpetrators as a 'group of extremists' and labeled the event 'painful and horrific.' Al-Faraya stated that the incident was 'unparalleled in the history of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.' Authorities are actively searching for the attackers, who fled the scene in a vehicle.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene inside the building. Khalid al-Mdanat, who was present at the church, said the gunfire lasted approximately 15 minutes. He noted that people attempted to flee while shots were still being fired. The attackers reportedly entered through the doors and escaped in a pickup truck, firing as they drove away. Another resident described the sound as resembling a war zone, while a woman inside reported that bodies were visible in the courtyards once the shooting stopped.

Verified CCTV footage shows three men approaching the church from a road. Two of the men entered a vehicle entrance, briefly retreated, and then returned with a third individual. All three appeared to carry handguns. The initial reports of the death toll were inconsistent. Early figures suggested seven deaths, a government spokesperson later revised this to six, and officials subsequently returned to the count of seven.

Security forces closed roads near the hospital in Karak where the wounded were treated. Families gathered at the hospital entrance, where heavy security was deployed. King Abdullah II promised to 'confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties.' He visited the injured as residents expressed frustration over what they described as a failure to adopt a tougher stance against terrorists.

Karak hosts a large Christian community within the Muslim-majority nation. While such violence is rare in Jordan, deadly attacks have occurred previously. President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon, a Christian head of state, condemned the event as a 'heinous terrorist attack.' He stated that the incident violated the sanctity of funeral mourners and contradicted religious and humanitarian values.