LONDON: Jordan’s Queen Rania and Crown Prince Hussein offered condolences on Sunday to the families of nine people killed when gunmen attacked a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral in the southern governorate of Karak.
The royal visits came two days after the shooting at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, which also wounded 40 people, according to Jordanian media. Authorities described it as a terrorist attack by extremists, a rare assault on the country’s Christian minority.
Queen Rania met with bereaved families at the Hammoud Charitable Society in Hammoud village, accompanied by her daughter, Princess Salma, and the crown prince’s wife, Princess Rajwa, according to Jordan’s news agency, Petra.
She prayed for the victims, comfort for their families and a speedy recovery for the wounded.
During a visit to the village’s mourning house, Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II condemned attacks on people in places of worship as a “cowardly and treacherous act.”
He said the attack targeted Jordan and all Jordanians, adding that Karak would remain steadfast through the resolve of its people.
The crown prince also cited King Abdullah II’s directive to crack down on terrorists “with an iron fist” and respond firmly to anyone seeking to undermine national unity.
He said he and the king were determined to hold the attackers accountable and that all state resources were being mobilized to apprehend them.
Prime Minister Jafar Hassan represented the king at the victims’ funeral at the church, where thousands of mourners, including officials and community representatives, gathered.
He said state agencies were working to bring those responsible to justice.
Public Security Directorate personnel carried the coffins, draped in Jordanian flags, on their shoulders before burial.