Jordanian authorities said eight people were killed and 40 wounded in a Karak church shooting during a funeral, as security forces continued searching for the gunmen.
At a Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud village, Karak governorate, gunfire erupted Oct. 23, about 120 kilometers southwest of Amman. Health Minister Ibrahim al-Badour also reported eight deaths in remarks carried by Al-Mamlaka TV, as noted in an earlier update on the toll.
Reuters reported that lawyer Nasser al-Burqan saw two attackers, one masked and the other unmasked. He recalled a gunman firing toward him from roughly two meters away. Shattered glass left blood on his face. His son was also at the service and later called to report a leg wound while receiving hospital care, al-Burqan said.
King Abdullah II visited Karak later that day and promised those responsible would be punished “with an iron fist.” According to an Oct. 24 statement from the U.S. Embassy in Amman, security measures were heightened at malls, foreign embassies and other Jordanian locations.
Authorities said they had not determined whether the attackers were connected to groups in Jordan or abroad. The search was continuing, and no organization had publicly claimed responsibility by the time Reuters reported.
