Nine killed, 40 wounded in attack on Jordan's St. George's Church

Casualty updates from the Karak governorate

The death toll rose to nine after one of the wounded victims died, according to reports from Petra and Al Jazeera. Jordan’s Health Minister Ibrahim Bdour said 22 people remained in hospitals in stable condition on Saturday.

Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour previously stated that two of the wounded were in critical condition.

Witness accounts of the indiscriminate gunfire

Witnesses described a scene of chaos during the funeral service. Saed al-Halaseh saw three masked men armed with automatic weapons fire indiscriminately at people outside the church before returning to shoot at the victims and the building facade. Dorgham Halasa reported that intense gunfire erupted 15 minutes after the funeral began, while other witnesses reported seeing four gunmen.

Theodoros Soueiss told Reuters that panic took hold among those present, adding that the gunfire was indiscriminate and impossible to avoid. Dirgham Al-Halasah described the shooting as a moment of great pain, citing the victims and the wounded. Tarek Ammarin called the event a "massacre in every sense of the word," noting that a relative was among the injured.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The government has not accused any specific armed group, though officials described the event as a terrorist act.

King Abdullah II orders security response

King Abdullah II visited Karak hours after the attack to assess the situation. He directed authorities to respond with "an iron fist" against what he called "the outlaws of Islam" and anyone attempting to undermine the unity of the Jordanian people.

The King chaired a National Security Council meeting and vowed there would be "no leniency when it comes to the lives of Jordanians". He ordered security forces to respond to the violence with that "iron fist".

Authorities continued searching for the gunmen. Officials stated it is too early to determine whether the attackers had links to known groups inside or outside of Jordan.

Officials link attack to extremist ideology

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said during a security meeting in Karak that the attack resulted from "terrorist ideology and blind extremism". He promised that the assailants would be punished with the "harshest penalties".

Government spokesperson Mohammad Momani stated that the attackers subscribed to "extremist takfiri ideology". Momani emphasized that Christians are "part of Jordan's national fabric".

International condemnation of the violence

Regional leaders condemned the violence following the attack. Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and Oman issued statements of support.

Ahmed al-Tayeb of Al-Azhar described the shooting as a "heinous terrorist attack". Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein affirmed Iraq's solidarity with Jordan.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres labeled the assault "especially heinous". Guterres called for the individuals responsible to face accountability for their actions.

National mourning and security context

Jordan declared three days of national mourning after the attack. Karak, located about 55 miles south of Amman, maintains a minority Christian population.

In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in Karak, including at a Crusader castle, killing 10 people and wounding dozens.

The United States embassy in Amman reported increased security at malls, foreign embassies, and other locations across the country.

There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in Jordan, a major partner with the United States in the fight against militant groups.

Fox News attributes the attack to takfiri ideology, while ABC News and The Nightly report uncertainty regarding responsibility.