Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects Monday in connection with a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church that killed nine people and injured dozens during a funeral in the southern Karak governorate.
The Public Security Directorate said the suspects were found before dawn hiding in an abandoned house in the area of al-Jadeeda, near the village of Hmoud. According to the directorate’s account published by Jordan’s state news agency, the men refused to surrender and opened fire when security forces approached. Officers returned fire, wounded all three and took them into custody. Petra reported that the operation ended a continuing manhunt and that the suspects were disarmed after the exchange.
The attack occurred Friday at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Hmoud while mourners gathered for a funeral. Early reports put the death toll at seven, but Jordanian authorities later raised it to nine. Reports on the number of injured have ranged from 34 to about 40. The attack was carried out by multiple gunmen, and no group had publicly claimed responsibility as of Monday. Reuters reported that the three suspects were arrested after a shootout and that all were wounded.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem condemned the attack, describing it as a strike against its community. In a statement carried by WAFA, the patriarchate said the shooting directly targeted worshipers at St. George Church and called the violence a “vile, cowardly, and bloody act.” The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem likewise said armed attackers opened fire indiscriminately during the funeral service.
Jordan’s government declared three days of national mourning beginning Friday for those killed in the attack. The official announcement expressed condolences to the victims’ families and to residents of Karak, a governorate with a longstanding Christian minority. The Middle East Council of Churches also condemned the assault and expressed solidarity with the Greek Orthodox congregation and the wider Jordanian Christian community.
Authorities have not announced a motive or said whether the suspects belong to an organized group. The investigation is expected to focus on the men’s identities, their weapons, their relationship to the church attack and whether anyone else helped plan or carry it out. The suspects remained in custody Monday after receiving medical treatment for injuries sustained during the arrest operation.
Image Credits:
• CCTV footage of the 2026 Karak church shooters entering the building via Wikimedia Commons by BBC with usage type - Public Domain, By No author, CCTV footage - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ck87zlpzny15o, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=202169129
Featured Image Credit:
• CCTV footage of the 2026 Karak church shooters entering the building via Wikimedia Commons by BBC with usage type - Public Domain, By No author, CCTV footage - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ck87zlpzny15o, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=202169129