Seven people were killed and 40 others were injured when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan's Karak governorate on Friday.
Security forces had been deployed to the church and were pursuing the suspects, the state-owned Al-Mamlaka television station reported. It said gunmen got out of a vehicle and opened fire during a funeral procession at the Hamoud Church in Karak. Al-Mamlaka previously reported seven had been killed in the attack.
Speaking at a press conference, Major General Abdallah 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 Minister Mazin 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.
Khaled Burqan, a man who had been attending the funeral, told Al-Mamlaka that dozens of people had been attending the funeral and at least two men - one carrying a rifle and another carrying a pistol - opened fire on them for several minutes.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and Jordanian authorities did not say who was responsible.
Jordan's King Abdullah said those behind the attack 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.
Such attacks are extremely rare in Jordan, which is relatively stable, though Jordanian authorities say they have repeatedly foiled attempted attacks by terrorists in recent years.
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.
Jordan's Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Mohammad Khalayleh and several members of Jordan's parliament condemned the attack in comments to Al-Mamlaka.
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 a Karak 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 U.S. 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 U.S. allies in the region to be hit by Iranian attacks this year after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February.
Jordan has been increasingly targeted by Iranian attacks this year since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February.
