Jordan arrests three men after deadly church shooting in Karak

Eight people have died after gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, Jordan, with more than two dozen others still receiving hospital treatment, according to the country’s health minister.

The attack took place on Friday, 23 October. Jordanian authorities initially reported seven deaths and 34 injuries. On Saturday, Health Minister Ibrahim Badour said a critically injured person had died, raising the toll to eight. One patient remained in critical condition, he said.

Jordan’s state news agency, Petra, reported that Amman Prosecutor General Hassan Al-Abdallat had ordered media and social media platforms not to publish information about the case or investigation, including photographs and video. The order also restricts publication of information about the ban itself, with government media exempt.

The latest reports do not establish whether the gunmen have been arrested.

Update

Jordanian security forces say they arrested three men on Monday in connection with Friday’s shooting at a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral in Hmoud village, in Karak governorate. The Public Security Directorate says the attack killed nine people. [4] [8]

Officers traced the men to an abandoned house, where they opened fire after being ordered to surrender, according to the directorate. Security forces returned fire, wounding all three before taking them into custody. The directorate said firearms and ammunition were found at the house and no officers were hurt. [4]

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya described the detainees as the killers in a statement reported by the state news agency Petra. Their arrest does not establish their role in the shooting. [6]

The directorate said on Saturday that a person wounded in the attack had died, raising its death toll from eight to nine. An Al Jazeera and Reuters report published on Monday still cited eight deaths, attributing that figure to Jordan’s health ministry without saying when it was recorded. [5] [9]