Jordan captures three gunmen after deadly church funeral attack

Nine people died in a shooting at a church in Jordan on Friday, according to state television. The violence occurred during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud. Hamoud is located in the Karak governorate, about 120 kilometers southwest of Amman. The attack left forty other people wounded. Witnesses reported that the gunfire continued for several minutes.

The Public Security Directorate announced the arrest of three armed suspects on Monday. The men were hiding in an abandoned house in Karak. Security forces found them and the suspects refused to surrender. They opened fire on the officers, who returned the attack. All three suspects were wounded during the exchange before being taken into custody. Authorities said no security personnel were injured. Police recovered several firearms and ammunition from the suspects.

The directorate described the attackers as extremist terrorists in a statement published on state media. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The directorate stated that terrorism has no place in the country. It added that the suspects had met their just fate. The directorate did not name the three men or link them to a specific Islamist group.

King Abdullah ordered security forces to respond with an iron fist to the attack. He is a partner of the United States in the fight against Islamist groups. Violence of this scale is rare in Jordan, a stable region in the Middle East. Authorities have foiled multiple Islamist plots in recent years.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said officials are examining why young people turn to extremism. He stated that anyone found to have participated in the attack would be held accountable.