Jordan declares three days of mourning after gunmen kill seven and wound at least 40 at church funeral; authorities call attack “terrorist”

The head of Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said seven people were killed and at least 40 wounded on Friday when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church. Authorities described the rare attack on Jordan’s Christian minority as a “terrorist” act.

Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh said “extremists” carried out the attack, but cautioned that it was too early to determine whether they had links to known groups inside or outside Jordan.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan wrote on X that the attack stemmed from “a terrorist ideology and blind extremism” and that Jordan would not allow society to go down that path. King Abdullah said the attack against Karak would be met with “the harshest retaliation,” adding that those seeking to divide Jordanians with bullets had “no chance in the face of our unity.” He made the statement before visiting some of the victims in hospital.

Jordan declared three days of national mourning, the kingdom’s Petra News Agency reported.