Jordan Seizes Three Armed Men After Karak Church Massacre

Jordanian security forces detained three armed suspects on Monday following a shootout in Karak governorate. The arrests connect to a fatal attack on a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud that occurred on Friday.

The shooting during a funeral service left nine people dead and wounded 40 others. Witnesses described the gunfire as lasting several minutes before it stopped. The incident took place approximately 120 kilometers southwest of Amman.

According to the Public Security Directorate, officers located the three men hiding in an abandoned house in Karak. The suspects refused to surrender and opened fire on the security team. Police returned the volley, wounding all three men before taking them into custody. Officials confirmed that no security personnel were injured in the exchange.

Officers recovered several firearms and ammunition from the suspects. The directorate identified the attackers as extremist terrorists but did not name them or publicly link them to a specific Islamist group. No organization has claimed responsibility for the violence.

King Abdullah ordered security forces to act with an iron fist in response to the rare attack on the country's Christian minority. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya stated that officials are examining the circumstances that lead young people toward extremism. He added that anyone found to have participated in the attack would be held accountable.

The directorate noted that the suspects had met their just fate and that terrorism has no place among the Jordanian public. Authorities have previously foiled several Islamist plots in the region.