Nine killed in attack on church funeral in Jordan

Nine people were killed and 40 wounded after gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan’s Karak governorate on Friday, according to Jordanian authorities. The toll rose Saturday when one of the wounded died, state news agency Petra reported, citing Jordan Public Security.

The assailants arrived in a vehicle and fired for several minutes before fleeing, according to officials and witnesses. Between 150 and 200 people were inside and around the church in the village of Hammoud at the time. Authorities continued searching for the attackers Saturday and said it was too early to determine whether they had links to known groups. No organization immediately claimed responsibility.

Jordan declared three days of national mourning. King Abdullah II visited Karak after the shooting and ordered security forces to pursue those responsible, saying the attack would be met with the “harshest retaliation” and that authorities would act “with an iron fist.” Prime Minister Jafar Hassan described the shooting as the product of “terrorist ideology and blind extremism.” Security was increased at malls, foreign embassies and other locations, according to the US Embassy in Amman.

Pakistan’s Foreign Office and the Muslim World League separately condemned the attack. Pakistan offered condolences to Jordan and the victims’ families, wished the injured a speedy recovery and reaffirmed its solidarity with Jordan against terrorism.