Gunmen Kill Seven at Church Funeral in Karak, Jordan, as Wounded Toll Rises to 34

Update: Police director puts the toll at seven killed and 34 wounded

Updated 16:02 UTC, Oct. 23, 2026. Jordan's director of public security, Maj. Gen. Obeidallah Maaytah, told a news conference that seven people were killed and 34 wounded in the shooting at the Greek Orthodox church in Karak, the Associated Press reported. Maaytah said 27 of the wounded were still being treated in hospital. The toll replaces the directorate's earlier count of at least six killed and 28 injured, which is recorded below.

A government statement said the attack was carried out by unknown assailants and that investigations were under way at full speed. The statement did not say whether any gunman had been captured or killed. State television images show two gunmen holding pistols approach the church and fire, then a third man holding a semiautomatic rifle open fire before all three run toward the church, AP reported.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya, speaking at the same news conference in Karak, called the shooting a terrorist attack carried out by a group of extremists and said security services were working around the clock to reach the perpetrators. No named group had claimed the attack, and officials did not name the attackers.

AP noted that Karak was also the scene of a deadly attack in 2016, when gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks that included the Crusader castle in the city, killing 10 people, among them seven officers, and wounding dozens. Security forces killed those gunmen after a long standoff.

Update: Officials revise the toll to six killed and 28 injured

Updated 15:39 UTC, Oct. 23, 2026. Jordan's Public Security Directorate said at least six people were killed and 28 injured in the church shooting in Karak, CNN reported. State media had originally reported seven people killed. A spokesperson for the directorate confirmed at least six dead after Friday's attack on the Hamoud church, and Jordanian sources had earlier told Al Jazeera that seven people had been killed.

King Abdullah described the shooting as a terrorist act and vowed a harsh response. "The blood of Jordanians is precious, and we will strike those who transgress against this country with an iron fist," the king said on X.

CNN identified the church as St. George's Greek Orthodox Church in Hmood, a predominantly Christian town in northern Karak, about 90 miles south of Amman. Witness Tamer Halasa told Al-Mamlaka that more than 150 people were inside and outside the church, that one attacker was carrying an AK-47 rifle, and that the shooting continued for several minutes. Security camera footage circulating on social media showed three gunmen opening fire on the street before heading toward the church, CNN reported. The unidentified gunmen were still being pursued, the security agency said.

At least seven people were killed and 10 others injured on Friday when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in Jordan's Karak governorate, the state owned television station Al-Mamlaka reported.

Two gunmen got out of a vehicle and opened fire during a funeral procession at the Hamoud church in Karak, the station said. Security forces deployed at the church and were pursuing the suspects, it reported.

Fired on mourners for several minutes

Khaled Burqan, a man who had been attending the funeral, told Al-Mamlaka that dozens of people had been attending the funeral. He said two men, one carrying a rifle and another carrying a pistol, opened fire on the mourners for several minutes.

Reuters reported the same account, citing the station, in a first report published at 12:04 UTC on Friday. CNN also reported at least seven people killed in the attack, citing Jordanian state media. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and Jordanian authorities did not say who was responsible for the shooting.

The funeral and the first reports

Al-Mamlaka, Jordan's state owned television station, was the first source of the news, and both Reuters and CNN built their first reports on its account. The station said the two gunmen got out of a vehicle and opened fire during the funeral procession at the Hamoud church. A funeral procession brings mourners out of the church and into the open, and the witness account describes the shooting lasting several minutes. Security forces deployed at the church and were pursuing the suspects, the station reported.

A rare attack in Jordan

Such attacks are extremely rare in Jordan, Reuters reported. The country is relatively stable, although Reuters said it has been increasingly targeted by Iranian attacks this year, since the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February.

Christians make up a minority of Jordan's population. The country is also home to several biblical sites that attract Christian pilgrims from around the world, which is one reason an attack on a church funeral drew attention well beyond Karak within hours of the first reports.

What is not yet known

The first reports did not name the people who were killed or injured, and officials had not said whether any suspect had been caught. Al-Mamlaka said security forces were pursuing the suspects after the shooting, and Reuters updated its report at about 13:06 UTC without a change to the toll of at least seven dead and 10 injured.

No group had claimed the attack in the first reports, and authorities released no motive. The Orbit Post will update this article as Jordanian officials release the names of the victims and the result of the search for the gunmen.