At least six people were killed and 28 injured on Friday after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a funeral at a Greek Orthodox Church in Hmoud, Jordan, government officials said.
Jordanian King Abdullah II said that those responsible for the terrorist attack near the city of Karak would meet “the harshest penalties.”
“Whoever imagines that the bullets of treachery can divide the ranks of Jordanians will fail in his endeavor before our steadfastness and unity,” Abdullah stated. “The blood of Jordanians is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against anyone who attacks this country.”
The assailants reportedly remain at large. The BBC published video footage of the attack that appears to show at least three gunmen opening fire on the church.
The Jordanian prime minister declared three days of mourning in response to the attacks and said that flags would fly at half-mast throughout the country.
Christians make up about 2% of the population of Jordan, according to the 2025 edition of the CIA World Factbook.
Mohammad al-Momani, the Jordanian government spokesman, wrote on Friday that Christians are “an authentic and indivisible part of our national fabric” and “partners in Jordan’s history, present and future.”
Terrorist attacks in Jordan are rare. In 2016, ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack on the Crusader fortress in Karak that left 14 people dead, including a Canadian tourist.
Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, called Friday’s news “devastating.”
“Praying for the victims, their families and all those affected by this depraved and brutal attack on a house of worship,” he wrote. “Attacks on Christians continue to escalate worldwide and must be stopped.”
