Jordan tightens security after deadly church attack kills eight

Jordan beefed up security at shopping malls, foreign missions and elsewhere Saturday as authorities hunted for gunmen who killed eight and wounded 40 in a gun attack on a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral, Reuters reported.

The attack occurred in the village of Hamoud in the southern Karak province on Friday as gunmen fired at mourners in broad daylight, creating panic. No immediate claim of responsibility.

The Jordanian authorities said it was an act of “extremist terrorism” but it was still unclear if the attackers were affiliated to any known groups.

“This stems from terrorist ideology and blind extremism. We will not allow society to fall in this trap,” Prime Minister Jafar Hassan wrote on X.

Following the assault, King Abdullah II traveled to Karak and promised that the attackers would be dealt with “an iron fist”.

The US Embassy in Amman said heightened security had been implemented at several locations within the country.

The attack stunned Jordan where violence against Christians is rare. Christians are a minority in Jordan and Karak is one of the country’s longstanding Christian settlements.

The authorities kept searching for the suspects as the injured were rushed to hospital.