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Jordanian state television said on Friday that public security forces had detained three people in connection with a deadly attack on a church. The attack took place at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak Governorate, about 120 kilometers southwest of the capital, Amman, AnewZ reported.
Gunmen entered the church during a funeral on Friday and opened fire for several minutes. Nine people were killed and 40 injured. The attack was described as a rare assault targeting Jordan’s Christian minority.
King Abdullah II of Jordan ordered security forces to respond with an “iron fist” to what authorities have called an act of extremist terrorism. He described the attack as a “heinous terrorist act” while chairing a meeting of the National Security Council on Saturday. The royal court said Abdullah II had stated there could be no compromise when the lives of Jordanians were threatened.
Funerals for the nine people killed were held on Sunday. Security forces were deployed around the church and the cemetery in Hamoud village, where the burials took place.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Jordanian authorities have said they thwarted several Islamist plots in recent years.
Witness recounts attack
Sahar al-Khalsa, who was inside the church during the attack, said she hid behind a column after hearing gunfire and people screaming in panic during the funeral of her cousin’s daughter.
She said that as she ran outside amid the chaos, she saw the attackers and another cousin lying wounded on the ground.
“I went to him and said, ‘Asim, Asim, my dear, answer me,’” al-Khalsa said. She said Asim opened his eyes and looked at her, but then “was no longer alive.”
