Seven die in Jordan church ambush

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya confirmed that seven people were killed and at least 34 were injured during a shooting at a church in Hmoud, located in the Karak governorate, on Friday. The attack has prompted a national response from Jordanian leadership.

Al-Faraya identified the assailants as a group of extremists during a news conference. He described the incident as painful and horrific, stating it was unparalleled in the history of the Hashemite Kingdom. King Abdullah II followed suit, declaring that authorities would confront the terrorist act with the harshest penalties. Initial reports on the death toll fluctuated, with a government spokesperson briefly citing six victims before officials returned to the figure of seven.

Verified CCTV footage shows three gunmen approaching the church from a road. Two men entered a vehicle entrance, retreated briefly, and returned with a third. All three appeared to carry handguns. Another clip from the aftermath shows dead and wounded individuals on the ground.

Witnesses described a scene of panic inside the building. Mourners threw themselves under pews and moved away from windows while prayers and screams echoed through the room. Khalid al-Mdanat, who was present, told BBC Arabic that the shooting lasted about 15 minutes. He noted that people tried to flee while gunfire was still active. The gunmen exited through the main doors and fled in a pickup truck, firing as they went.

One witness compared the sound to a war that had just started. A woman inside the church said gunfire began seconds after a prayer. She described the situation as escalating for 10 continuous minutes. Upon exiting, she reported that bodies were scattered in the courtyards.

Security forces closed nearby roads and tightened measures at a hospital in Karak treating the wounded. Families gathered at the entrance in tense and chaotic conditions, with many voicing frustration over what they called a failure to take a tougher approach toward terrorists. The Karak region has a sizeable Christian community within the majority Muslim country, making such violence rare.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the event as a heinous terrorist attack. According to Lebanese media, he said the violence violated the sanctity of death and funeral mourners, contradicting religious and humanitarian values. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.