Jordanian forces detain three wounded gunmen after deadly church attack

Jordanian security forces detained three armed men on Monday after a firefight in Karak governorate. The suspects were identified in connection with a Friday attack on a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud. The shooting during a funeral service killed nine people and wounded forty others.

State television reported that authorities located the men hiding in an abandoned house. According to a statement from the Public Security Directorate, the suspects refused to surrender and opened fire on security personnel. Forces returned fire, wounding all three men before taking them into custody. Officials confirmed that no security personnel were injured and that multiple firearms and ammunition were recovered from the scene.

The directorate characterized the attackers as extremist terrorists, noting that no group has formally claimed responsibility for the violence. The agency stated that the suspects had met their just fate and emphasized that terrorism has no place in the country. King Abdullah ordered security forces to respond to the attack on the Christian minority with an iron fist, a rare level of violence in the generally stable Middle Eastern state.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya announced that officials are examining the circumstances that drive young people toward extremism. He stated that anyone found to have participated in the attack would be held accountable. The directorate did not name the three suspects or publicly link them to a specific Islamist group, despite years of foiled plots in the region.

The attack occurred roughly 120 kilometers southwest of the capital, Amman. Witnesses described the shooting as lasting several minutes. The suspects remain in custody as the investigation continues.