Jordanian Forces Arrest Three Suspects After Deadly Church Shooting

Jordanian security forces arrested three armed suspects Monday following a dawn shootout in Karak governorate, south of Amman. The men are suspected of carrying out a mass shooting at a church funeral three days earlier.

The suspects were hiding in an abandoned house in Karak and opened fire when security units approached. Officers returned fire and wounded all three suspects before capturing them, the Public Security Directorate said. No security personnel sustained injuries, and weapons and ammunition were recovered at the scene.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya confirmed that the three captured men carried out the Friday attack in Hamoud. Gunmen killed nine people during the assault at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church. Early official reports had placed the death toll at seven.

The shooting left 40 people wounded according to the Health Ministry, while initial government and security reports recorded 34 wounded. Between 150 and 200 people were at the church compound when attackers fired pistols and a rifle into the crowd. Many casualties were between 50 and 70 years old.

Theodoros Soueiss, a priest at the funeral, said people dropped to the floor as gunfire spread across the church. King Abdullah II directed security agencies to act decisively against those responsible. He stated that Jordan would respond with an iron fist against outlaws attempting to divide the country.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan stated on social media that the shooting was the result of extremist ideology. Al-Faraya said on state television that the suspects resisted heavily before their capture. He added that it was too early to determine whether they had ties to outside militant factions.

Khaled al-Borqan, an attack survivor who lost three relatives, said the arrests brought relief to grieving families. Ahmed al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar, condemned the incident as a terrorist attack and offered condolences.

Authorities have not publicly named the suspects or linked them to a formal group. Sectarian attacks against Jordan's Christian minority are rare. In December 2016, Islamic State-linked gunmen killed 10 people in Karak during an ambush at a medieval castle.

The three wounded suspects remain in custody receiving medical care while investigators interrogate them regarding planning and potential accomplices. Security forces maintain heightened alerts around religious sites, foreign embassies, and commercial centers across the kingdom. Al-Faraya said authorities are reviewing the drivers of violent extremism.