Jordan church attack: nine killed at funeral in Karak
At least nine people died when armed attackers opened fire in a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral. Authorities have announced no arrests yet.
An armed attack on a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamud, in Karak governorate in southern Jordan, killed at least nine people on Friday, October 23, 2026. The victims belonged to the same Orthodox tradition as most believers in Serbia, and the fact that they were attacked in the middle of a funeral, in a kingdom with a Muslim majority, explains why the news spread far beyond Jordan.
What happened in Hamud?
The Public Security Directorate first said seven people had died and 34 were wounded. On Saturday the death toll rose to nine. The Associated Press reports 40 wounded, so the official and agency figures differ. Health Minister Ibrahim al Budur said one critically wounded patient was in unstable condition at the Prince Ali Military Hospital.
According to witness Dorgam Halasa, who was among the mourners inside the church, the shooting began about 15 minutes into the service. “It was a strange situation and heavy gunfire,” Halasa said. He did not see the attackers, but others told him there were at least four. A second witness told state broadcaster Al Mamlaka that a vehicle brought the attackers, that they fired without pause for about five minutes and then fled. Between 150 and 200 people were in and around the church, and most of the victims were between 50 and 70 years old.
Footage aired by state television shows two attackers with handguns and a third man with a semi-automatic rifle who joins them moments later. All three then run toward the church. Jordanian authorities have not confirmed the number of attackers.
What is known about the attackers?
Interior Minister Mazen al Faraja told a news conference that a group of extremists carried out the attack. Government spokesman Mohamed Momani specified on Saturday that the attackers adhere to an “extremist takfiri ideology,” which declares people who reject a strict reading of Islam to be apostates. Momani added that Christians are “part of the national fabric of Jordan.”
Earlier on Friday, a government statement referred only to “unknown attackers” and to an investigation proceeding “at full speed.” Prime Minister Jafar Hasan said at a security meeting in Karak that the attack was the result of a terrorist ideology and blind extremism, and that the attackers would be punished. As of Saturday no arrests had been announced, the manhunt was under way, and it is not known whether the attackers are linked to any terrorist organization.
Reactions from Jordan and abroad
King Abdullah II responded on X:
“Jordan will confront the terrorist act that struck Karak with the harshest punishments.”
In the same post he offered condolences to the victims’ families and wished the wounded a swift recovery. The king also said that “whoever imagines that the bullets of treachery can divide the ranks of Jordanians will not succeed in his scheme, in the face of our steadfastness and unity.” Jordan declared three days of national mourning, the state news agency Petra reported.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack through his spokesman Stephane Dujarric: “The attack is particularly heinous, and all those responsible must be found and held to account.” Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, the only Christian head of state in the Arab world, wrote in a statement: “This is a heinous terrorist attack, and terrorism has neither faith nor homeland.” Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said that “Iraq stands in solidarity with Jordan in confronting terrorism.” The attack was also condemned by the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Ahmed el Tayeb, and by the governments of Syria, Egypt and Oman.
Karak has been a target before
Karak is home to a significant Christian community and has already seen violence. In 2016, a series of attacks on police, including one at a crusader castle popular with tourists, left ten people dead, seven of them police officers. Jordanian security forces killed the attackers after a long siege.
For now there is no confirmed number of attackers, no identification and no motive beyond the authorities’ assessment of an extremist ideology. The search for the perpetrators continues.
