Nine killed in Jordan church attack as police capture three gunmen

Nine people died and 40 were wounded during a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud on Friday. The attack occurred during a funeral service in Karak governorate, which sits roughly 120 kilometres southwest of Amman. Witnesses reported that gunfire continued for several minutes before the attackers fled the scene.

State television reported that Jordanian security forces arrested three armed suspects on Monday. The Public Security Directorate said officers tracked the men to an abandoned house in Karak. The suspects refused to give up and opened fire on the forces, who returned the volley. Security officials wounded the three men and took them into custody without any personnel being injured in the exchange.

Officers recovered several firearms and ammunition from the detained suspects. The directorate has labeled the perpetrators as extremist terrorists, although no group has yet claimed responsibility for the violence. Officials did not release the names of the suspects or confirm specific ties to Islamist militant organizations.

King Abdullah has ordered security forces to respond with an iron fist to the rare assault on the country's Christian minority. Jordan is widely considered stable in the Middle East, though officials say they have disrupted multiple Islamist plots in recent years. The king serves as a key partner for the United States in the regional campaign against militant groups.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya stated that authorities are reviewing the factors that drive young people toward extremism. He added that anyone found to have participated in the attack would be held accountable. The Public Security Directorate noted in its statement that the suspects met their just fate.