Three Suspects Held After Shootout in Karak
Security forces captured armed men linked to a funeral attack that killed nine in the village of Hamoud.
By Samir Patterson ·
Nine mourners died when gunmen opened fire during a funeral service at a Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud, a village in Karak governorate. The attack occurred on Friday, roughly 120 kilometers southwest of Amman. Forty additional people were wounded, and witnesses reported the gunfire continued for several minutes before stopping.
The violence marked a rare disruption in Jordan, a country often viewed as stable in the Middle East. Authorities have previously thwarted several Islamist plots, but this was the first major attack on the nation's Christian minority in years. King Abdullah, a key U.S. partner in the region, ordered security forces to respond with an iron fist to the incident.
On Monday, security forces located three armed suspects hiding in an abandoned house in Karak. The men refused to surrender and opened fire on officers who responded in kind. All three were wounded in the exchange and subsequently taken into custody. No security personnel were injured during the operation.
The Public Security Directorate stated that officers recovered several firearms and ammunition from the suspects. The agency described the attackers as extremist terrorists, though it did not name the individuals or link them publicly to a specific group. No organization has claimed responsibility for the shooting.
Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said officials are currently examining the circumstances that lead young people toward extremism. He stated that anyone found to have participated in the attack would be held accountable for the violence in Hamoud.
The directorate noted that the suspects met their just fate during the confrontation. The agency emphasized that terrorism has no place among the population, while maintaining that the investigation into the network behind the attack is ongoing.
