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Jordan reels after terrorist attack on church, King vows ‘harshest retaliation’
Confirmed
In Short: King Abdullah II of Jordan called the incident a 'terrorist attack' and vowed 'harshest retaliation' against the perpetrators.
Multiple gunmen opened fire during a funeral service at the Greek Orthodox church in Karak, a village about 110 miles south of Amman, Jordan's capital. The attack left seven dead and 34 injured.
King Abdullah II of Jordan called the incident a 'terrorist attack' and vowed 'harshest retaliation' against the perpetrators. He visited the injured in hospitals to check on their condition.
The attack occurred during a funeral service for up to 200 mourners, with most victims aged between 50 and 70 years old. The assailants were seen on CCTV footage holding pistols and a semiautomatic rifle.
Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein affirmed Iraq's solidarity with Jordan in the face of terrorism, while Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the Arab world's only Christian head of state, condemned the attack as a 'heinous terrorist act.'
Jordan's Interior Minister, Mazen Al Faraya, said the attack was carried out by a 'group of extremists' and that the government is doing all it can to find the culprits.
Archbishop Giovanni Pietro Dal Toso, apostolic nuncio to Jordan, visited the injured and their families in several hospitals, conveying the closeness and solidarity of the Holy Father.
Church bells rang out at noon across Jordan on October 24 in remembrance of the victims of the massacre.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in Jordan stated that the attack aimed at driving out Christians would only strengthen their resolve to remain in the holy land.
The attack reaffirms that terrorism has no religion or homeland and aims to strike at coexistence and spread strife.
Investigations are underway at full speed, but the government statement did not specify whether any gunmen were captured or killed.
What's confirmed
- "Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation." Images broadcast on Jordanian state television showed two gunmen who appear to be holding pistols approaching the church and firing shots.
- "The terrorist attack against Karak will be met with the harshest retaliation. Those who delude themselves into thinking that they can divide Jordanians with their bullets have no chance in the face of our unity," King Abdullah II wrote on X.
- It “reaffirms once again that terrorism has no religion and no homeland, and its aim is to strike at coexistence and spread strife,” according the president’s statement.
- Between 150 and 200 people were in and around the church at the time, the witness said, adding that most of the victims were aged between 50 and 70.
What's still developing
- “This terrorist attack against defenseless civilians is a grave offence against God and against humanity. To strike mourners at prayer, in a house of God, during the burial of their dead, violates every sacred and human value,” the condolence message said.
- In a statement on Saturday, Jordan's Health Ministry said that 27 people were still receiving treatment in hospital.
- “Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation.” The King visited the injured in hospital and spoke with them to check on their condition, according to footage aired by the state-owned broadcaster Al Mamlaka TV.
- "Jordanians reject this cowardly terrorist act. It will strengthen the country's push to combat terrorism in all its forms," he said during a press conference alongside Maj Gen Al Maaytah.
- AMMAN, Jordan — Gunmen killed at least seven people and wounded dozens at a church in southern Jordan on Friday, authorities said, with the king vowing retaliation for the rare attack on Christians in the majority Sunni Muslim kingdom.
- “We will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation.” Al Arabiya released a CCTV footage of the attack that targeted a funeral at a church in Al-Karak, Jordan, in which Al-Mamlaka reported that six people were killed and 28 were injured.
- “We are absolutely certain that Jordanian society will remain impervious to every dark, extremist ideology, and that this criminal act is far removed from — and alien to — the moderate Islam of our country,” it said.
- Footage aired by state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka showed the moment of the attack.