The death toll as a result of the attack on a church in Karak Governorate, south of Amman, on Friday, rose to 8, according to a new toll announced by Health Minister Ibrahim Al-Badour today (Saturday).
The minister said in a telephone call with Agence France-Presse: “The number of martyrs who fell in the attack on the church of the village of Al-Hamoud in Karak has risen to 8 martyrs after the death of one of the wounded who was in critical condition.” According to the minister, there are 26 injured people still receiving treatment in hospitals, including one critical condition.
Seven people were killed on Friday, in a shooting carried out by “extremist” gunmen inside and outside the Greek Orthodox Church in Karak Governorate, 118 km south of Amman, according to a preliminary toll announced by the Jordanian authorities yesterday (Friday).
The official Al-Mamlaka channel broadcast a video clip showing three gunmen shooting towards the church during a funeral, before advancing towards the entrance while continuing to shoot, in a very rare event in the Kingdom of Jordan.
King Abdullah II threatened the perpetrators of the “terrorist act” with “the most severe punishments,” stressing: “We will strike with an iron fist anyone who attacks this country.” He wrote on the “X” platform: “Whoever imagines that the bullets of treachery are splitting the ranks of the Jordanians, his efforts will be defeated in the face of our solidity and unity.”
Karak Governorate, with a population of approximately 375,000, includes a significant Christian presence of clans such as the Hilsa and the Hijaz. Christian families are concentrated in certain neighborhoods, such as the “Christian Quarter” in the city center.
In 2016, Karak Governorate witnessed a series of attacks, most of which were attributed to ISIS, the most violent of which was an attack that targeted a security center and police patrols, resulting in 10 deaths, including 7 security personnel and a tourist in December. Four gunmen who barricaded themselves in Karak Castle were subsequently killed during a confrontation with security personnel.
The US Embassy in Amman said that security measures have been tightened in shopping malls, foreign embassies and other locations in Jordan, after the attack that occurred yesterday (Friday) on a church in Karak Governorate, according to Reuters news agency.
The Director of Public Security said that 7 people were killed and dozens wounded when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at the church. No party has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
The authorities are still searching for the attackers, whom they described as “extremists,” adding that it is too early to determine whether they have links to known groups inside or outside Jordan.
Yesterday, terrorism struck a church in Karak Governorate, southern Jordan, leaving 7 dead and 34 wounded, prompting Jordanian King Abdullah II to threaten to “strike with an iron fist anyone who attacks this country.”
The attack occurred in the village of Al-Hamoud in the Karak Governorate, which is inhabited by the Christian Hilsa clans, which are one of the largest Christian clans in the governorate, where two gunmen opened fire randomly from automatic rifles. This caused deaths and injuries, including critical cases. Three gunmen appeared in the attack, but one of them was unable to fire. One of the eyewitnesses recounted long minutes of terror experienced by worshipers in Hammoud Church at the moment a funeral ceremony was held to bid farewell to a relative. He said that within a few moments, “the gates of hell were opened” from the barrel of the gunmen’s rifles, turning the mourning for one deceased into a funeral for many victims. King Abdullah II threatened the perpetrators of the “terrorist act” with “the most severe punishments.” He wrote on the “X” platform: “Whoever imagines that the bullets of treachery are splitting the ranks of the Jordanians, his efforts will be defeated in the face of our solidity and unity.” The King visited Karak Governmental Hospital, returning the wounded.
In a press conference, Jordanian Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraiah confirmed the terrorist nature of the operation, noting that “a group of extremists” had committed a “terrible act,” and that “security services are working around the clock to reach” the attackers.
In turn, the Director of Public Security, Major General Obaidullah Al-Maaytah, said that the Public Security Service is working to “identify the perpetrators of the terrorist act and bring them to justice,” stressing that their arrest will take place soon.
