Authorities said gunmen opened fire inside a Christian church in Jordan during a funeral Friday, killing nine people and leaving more than two dozen others injured.
The attack occurred at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, roughly 55 miles south of Jordan’s capital, Amman.
Jordanian Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said Saturday that one critically wounded victim remained in unstable condition at Prince Ali Military Hospital.
Government spokesman Mohammad Momani said the assailants appeared to follow an “extremist takfiri ideology.” The term refers to a rigid interpretation of Islam that labels those who reject it as apostates or nonbelievers. Groups including ISIS have used takfiri beliefs to justify attacks against Muslims, Christians and Jews.
Journalists and bystanders gather outside a Greek Orthodox church sealed off with crime scene tape after gunmen opened fire during a funeral in Hamoud village, in Jordan’s Karak governorate, on Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo)
Karak has a significant Christian community. Momani stressed that Christians are an integral “part of Jordan’s national fabric.”
Authorities have not said whether the suspects were linked to an established terrorist organization, and no arrests had been announced in connection with the shooting.
Jordanian state television broadcast footage appearing to show two gunmen carrying pistols approaching the church and firing, according to The Associated Press.
Moments later, a third man carrying what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle joined the attack. The three then moved quickly toward the church.
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People and security personnel gather outside a Greek Orthodox church in Hammoud village, in Jordan’s Karak governorate, after a shooting on Oct. 23, 2026. Authorities said gunmen killed at least seven people. (AFP via Getty Images)
Witness photographs and videos showed shattered glass and blood on the church floor. Once police secured the scene, two bodies covered by blankets could be seen outside the building.
Dorgham Halasa told the AP that heavy gunfire broke out about 15 minutes after the funeral service began. He said people immediately fled in panic.
Halasa said he did not see the attackers himself, although people he spoke with reported seeing at least four gunmen. Officials had not confirmed the number of assailants by Saturday.
King Abdullah II vowed Friday that Jordan would “confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties.”
The interior of a Greek Orthodox church is shown hours after gunmen opened fire on Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo)
“Whoever imagines that the bullets of treachery can divide the ranks of Jordanians will fail in his endeavor before our steadfastness and unity,” the king said. He offered condolences to the victims’ families and wished the injured a full recovery.
Jordan declared three days of national mourning after the attack, the state-run Petra News Agency reported.