The Jordanian government has said that seven people were killed and 34 others were injured after gunmen opened fire during a funeral in a Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud, in Karak governorate.
It was gathered that the gunmen arrived in a car, entered the church, and opened fire before fleeing on Friday.
CCTV footage, verified by the BBC, showed three gunmen making their way from a road toward the church.
Footage of the aftermath of the attack showed several dead and wounded people on the ground, while prayers and screams could be heard from the building as some fled the scene.
Two of the attackers went through a vehicle entrance to the church before briefly retreating and later returning with a third man, all of them armed with handguns.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Interior Minister Mazin al-Farrayeh, at a news conference, said extremist groups launched the attack.
He did not mention the name of the group, adding that the “terrorist” attack was unprecedented and that the group that perpetuated the attack had “no relationship to humanity”.
Mr al-Farrayeh said, “This country will never be dragged into terrorism and violence,” noting that “Jordanians have never seen something like this before”.
The Director of Jordan’s Public Security Directorate, Obaidullah Al-Maaytah, assured that “the perpetrators will be caught and our national unity will not be hit.”
He added that 27 of those injured were receiving treatment in hospitals.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II, in an earlier statement on X, expressed confidence that authorities would “confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties.”
“The blood of Jordanians is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against anyone who overreaches against this country,” he added.
Security operatives have been stationed at the entrance of the hospital, treating those who were injured in the attack. Security was also tightened ahead of the king’s visit to check on the injured.
Karak is a sizeable Christian community in the majority-Muslim Jordan.
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