Gunmen Open Fire at Church Funeral in Jordan; Death Toll Reported as Seven or Eight

Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in Jordan on Friday, 23 October, killing eight people according to a Guardian report. The Associated Press reported seven deaths. Jordan's health minister said 40 people were injured.

The shooting took place at St George's Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud, in Karak governorate, one of Jordan's administrative provinces. A witness told CBS News that between 150 and 200 people were in and around the church at the time. The same report said most of the victims were aged between 50 and 70.

Jordanian authorities described the attack as a terrorist act by extremists. Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh said the attackers were "extremists," and that it was too early to tell whether they had links to known groups inside or outside Jordan. No one had claimed responsibility by the time of the reports.

A video aired on the state-owned Al-Mamlaka television station appeared to come from a church security camera. It showed three people firing at the church from a pavement. The head of Jordan's Public Security Directorate, Maj Gen Abdallah al-Maaytah, said most of those injured were receiving treatment and that the hunt for the attackers was continuing.

King Abdullah visited Karak hours after the attack and said the perpetrators would be punished "with an iron fist." Prime Minister Jafar Hassan offered condolences to the victims and said those responsible for the attack, which he described as having claimed the lives of innocent Jordanians, would not escape punishment.

Jordan declared three days of national mourning for the victims of the Karak church attack, according to the state news agency Petra.