Who was behind the deadly church shooting in Jordan?

Three masked gunmen opened fire during a funeral in a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud in Karak governorate on Friday, killing eight people and injuring dozens more, according to Jordan's Ministry of Health. King Abdullah II said those behind the attack would face the "harshest penalties", as he ordered a review of the country's security procedures for responding to terrorist attacks.

Authorities are calling this rare attack on a Christian place of worship an act of terror, with the perpetrators yet to be identified. Survivors described hearing an explosion just after the start of the service, with attackers arriving in a vehicle and one carrying a semi-automatic rifle.

Attack Details

Survivor Nasser al-Burqan, a lawyer, told Reuters that one attacker stood about two meters away and pointed a handgun at him before opening fire. "When everything finally quietened down, I looked out the window behind me, and I saw two [assailants] – one was masked, the other was not; he was carrying a handgun," said al-Burqan.

Tarek Ammarin, visiting a relative injured in the attack, described it as "a massacre, a massacre in every sense of the word." Bahjat al-Rushda, mayor of Shihan village, condemned what he called a "wicked" attack, adding "God willing, this country will remain safe."

State news channel Al-Mamlaka reported that security forces were deployed to the church and were in pursuit of the two suspects who had arrived in a vehicle. Security camera footage circulating online shows three people shooting outside the church and running towards its entrance.

Casualties

Eight people were killed in the shooting, including seven who died at the scene and one who succumbed to her injuries hours after the attack, according to Jordan's Petra news agency. Of the 40 people injured, 27 are still in hospital, with one person in critical condition after undergoing surgery at Prince Ali Military Hospital in Karak.

Investigation

The identity of the three attackers has not been confirmed, with government statements referring to them as "unknown assailants." Jordan's Interior Minister Mazin Al-Farrayeh said a group of "extremists" that have "no relationship to humanity" were responsible for the attack, though no specific groups were mentioned.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan described the attack as a by-product of terrorist ideology and "blind extremism," but did not provide specifics about the attackers. The motive remains unclear since the perpetrators' identities have yet to be revealed.

Christian Community

Karak governorate is about 120km south of Amman and is home to many from Jordan's Christian minority, which makes up about 300,000 of the country's population of 11.5 million people. Taylor Luck, senior Middle East correspondent at the Christian Science Monitor, noted that Jordan's Christians "pride themselves on [their] interfaith solidarity and coexistence."

He said Christians and Muslims have lived side-by-side in Karak for generations, suggesting that if the attack was meant to divide the community, it might instead cause "the community come[s] back even stronger." Jordan is also home to many biblical sites that draw visitors from around the world.

Response

Several countries, including Azerbaijan, Iraq, Poland, Palestine and Qatar, have issued statements condemning the attack and expressing solidarity with Jordan. Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar in Cairo, called the shooting a "heinous terrorist attack" that "contradicts the teachings of the Abrahamic religions."

The United States embassy in Jordan also offered condolences to victims and survivors. The Jordanian Prime Minister declared three days of mourning, with flags to be flown at half-mast over government and public buildings.

Historical Context

Jordan has experienced similar attacks before, though they are rare. In 2016, the ISIL (ISIS) group carried out a series of attacks across Karak, including a deadly siege on a Crusader-era castle in which 10 people were killed, including a Canadian tourist and seven police officers. Four attackers were later killed by Jordanian security forces following a long standoff.