Nationwide Alert After Mass Casualty Incident

Gunmen opened fire on mourners inside a house of worship on Friday, killing eight and wounding 40.

The assault unfolded at a Greek Orthodox church located in Karak governorate, about 120km southwest of the capital, Amman. Attackers discharged weapons for several minutes in broad daylight during a funeral service currently under way. Officials have categorized the incident as an act of extremist terrorism. No organization has claimed responsibility for the violence, and authorities have not determined if the attackers have links to known groups inside or outside the country. The state-run Petra News Agency reports that the country has declared three days of national mourning.

In response to the shooting, King Abdullah directed security personnel to locate those responsible and react firmly. The monarch, who is a US partner in the fight against violent armed groups in the region, reached Karak within hours of the event. He vowed that the perpetrators would be punished with an iron fist. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan wrote on X that the attack was a result of a terrorist ideology and blind extremism, adding: "We will not allow society to go down this path." Authorities have increased security at shopping malls, foreign embassies, and other locations around the country, according to the US embassy in Amman.

Survivors described a chaotic scene. Nasser al-Burqan, a lawyer who survived the attack, told the Reuters news agency that one of the attackers, standing about two metres away, aimed a handgun at him and fired. Later, his son, who was also at the mass, phoned to say he had been shot in the leg and was receiving hospital treatment. After the gunfire subsided, al-Burqan said he looked out a window behind him and saw two assailants, one masked and the other unmasked and carrying a handgun.

At a hospital where the wounded are being treated, Tarek Ammarin, whose relative was hurt, called it "a massacre, a massacre in every sense of the word." Bahjat al-Rushda, mayor of Shihan village in Karak, condemned what he described as a wicked attack and said: "God willing, this country will remain safe." Video footage on Saturday showed police patrolling outside the church.

The search for the perpetrators continues. Attacks of this kind are rare in Jordan, though authorities in the US-allied kingdom say they have repeatedly foiled plots in recent years by violent groups driven by a strict interpretation of Islam. Karak is home to a minority Christian population, and Jordan contains several biblical sites that draw Christian pilgrims from around the world.