Seven killed as gunmen open fire at church in Jordan in 'terrorist' attack, authorities say

By Alaa al-Sukhni

AL-MUSHAIRFEH, Jordan, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Sevenpeople were killedon Friday when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in Jordan, said the head of the country's Public Security Directorate, in a rare attack on Jordan's Christian minority that authorities described as a terrorist act by extremists.

Speaking at a press conference, Major GeneralAbdallah al-Maaytah said most of those wounded in the shooting at the Hamoud Church in Karak governorate were still receiving treatment, and that the hunt for the attackers was ongoing. Jordan's health minister said 40 people were wounded.

Interior MinisterMazin Al Farrayeh said the attack had been carried out by "extremists", but that it was too early to tell whether they had any links to known groups inside or outside Jordan.

Such attacks are extremely rare in Jordan, which is relatively stable, though authorities in the US ally say that in recent years they have repeatedly foiled attempted attacks by Islamist militants.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

A video aired on Jordan's state-ownedAl-Mamlaka television station that appeared to be from a security camera on the church showed three people firing at it from a sidewalk and hiding behind trees and a low wall. The video showed the attackersthenrunning towards the church's entrance. Reuters was able to verify the video from the entry path and wall surrounding the church, as well as other details.

"This is a result of a terrorist ideology and blind extremism and we will not allow society to go down this path," Jordanian Prime MinisterJafar Hassan said in a post on X.

Khaled Burqan, who was at the funeral, told Al-Mamlaka that dozens of people were present and the gunmen opened fire on them for several minutes.

Ihab Ammareen, another witness, toldthe station he saw bloodied people collapse on the floor after the attack. "People were crying, wailing, screaming — it's hard to describe," he said.

BLOOD SMEARED ON THE GROUND

Jordan's King Abdullah,a majorUS partner in the fight against militant Islamist groups, visited Karak hours after the attack and said the perpetrators would be punished "with an iron fist".

"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," he said in a statement.

Reuters footage from the church after the attack showed blood smeared on the floor near its entrance, where security forces were deployed.

In a post on X, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the violence and said attacks against civilians and places of worship are unacceptable.

People who gathered at aKarak government hospital to support the wounded expressed shock.

"What happened today has left people unable to speak or raise our voices. But our only reproach to the state is that it must investigate these dark ideas — where they come from and how they enter the minds of our children," said one of them, Hani Al-Mbaydeen.

Christians make up a minority of Jordan's population. The country is home to several biblical sites that attract Christian pilgrims from around the world.

The US ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz described it on X as a "depraved and brutal attack on a house of worship."

Jordan was among the US allies in the region to be hit by Iranian attacks this year after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily and Eman Abouhassira and Enas Alashray; Additional reporting by Carlos Mendez; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Philippa Fletcher, Aidan Lewis, David Gaffen and Daniel Wallis)