Breaking
A shooting in a church in southern Jordan has left at least seven dead in a rare and major security incident for the country.
The state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka reported that unknown gunmen opened fire inside the Hamoud church in Karak province, killing seven and injuring 10 others. The assailants exited a vehicle and opened fire during a funeral service before fleeing, according to the outlet.
The Jordanian news outlet Roya reported that security forces deployed to the area in search of the shooters.
مراسل رؤيا: تعزيزات أمنية تتجه إلى محافظة الكرك لملاحقة مرتكبي حادثة إطلاق النار داخل كنيسة#عاجل https://t.co/aU10QurgSw pic.twitter.com/4xyoRDFefZ
— Roya News (@RoyaNews) October 23, 2026
Christians make up about 2-3% of the population in Jordan, with sizable communities in the capital Amman, Karak and other parts of the country.
Attacks on churches and Christians have been relatively rare in Jordan, though there has been violence toward Christians at times, including an attack on a Lebanese Christian choir in Amman in 2008, an attempted attack on churches and a Christian cemetery that year and a foiled plot to bomb a Roman Catholic church in 2009. Jordan has also experienced sporadic vandalism targeting Christian sites, including churches and cemeteries.
Jordan has experienced several major security incidents over the past two decades, including the November 2005 suicide bombings of three hotels in Amman that killed at least 57 people, an attack on a police training facility near the capital in November 2015 in which a Jordanian officer killed five people including two Americans and a June 2016 attack by suspected Islamic State militants on a border post that killed seven Jordanian security personnel.
In December 2016, gunmen carried out attacks in Karak, killing 14 people, including security personnel and civilians. Three US special forces soldiers were also killed by a Jordanian guard at King Faisal Air Base in November 2016.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This one's on us.
The story doesn't end here.
Our correspondents are already on the next chapter. Read everything they file, from $2/week.