Jordan Church Funeral Attack: 7 Killed, 40 Injured as King Abdullah Vows 'Harshest Retaliation'

Jordan Church Funeral Attack: 7 Killed, 40 Injured as King Abdullah Vows

At least seven people were killed and 40 others injured when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan's southern Karak governorate on Friday. The attack took place at St. George's church in the village of Hammoud, about 180 kilometres south of Amman, where between 150 and 200 mourners had gathered.

Witnesses said the gunmen got out of a vehicle and fired for several minutes at people standing in the church courtyard, before running toward the entrance. Two of the wounded are in critical condition, and Jordan's public security chief said the hunt for the attackers was continuing, with no claim of responsibility. Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh described the attackers as extremists.

King Abdullah II visited wounded survivors in hospital on Friday evening and vowed that the attack would be met with the harshest retaliation, saying Jordan would strike with an iron fist. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan declared three days of mourning, and on Saturday the US embassy in Amman said security had been stepped up at malls, embassies and other locations across Jordan. Condemnation poured in from Saudi Arabia, the United Nations, the United States and Cairo's Al-Azhar Institute.

Source: CNN

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