Jordan church attack leaves nine dead as king vows an iron fist

A Jordan church attack at a funeral on Friday, 23 October, has left nine people dead and dozens wounded. No group has claimed responsibility.

Gunmen opened fire outside St George’s Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud, in Karak governorate. The village lies about 120 kilometres south-west of Amman. Mourners were in the church courtyard.

What we know about the Jordan church attack

Eight people died on Friday. A ninth died of injuries on Saturday. The royal court put the number of wounded at 40. ABC News reported 34. It said 22 were still in hospital on Saturday, all in stable condition, according to Health Minister Ibrahim Bdour.

Surveillance footage verified by ABC shows at least three gunmen. Officials and witnesses say a fourth person drove the group. The shooting lasted several minutes in broad daylight. Authorities are still searching for the attackers.

Officials have not established a motive. They also say it is too early to link the attackers to any known group. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan blamed “blind extremism”. The government called the attack an act of extremist terrorism.

King Abdullah II said the safety of Jordanians is a red line. He ordered security forces to punish those responsible “with an iron fist”. Queen Rania said the crime had devastated the country.

Jordan declared three days of national mourning. The Council of Church Heads in Jordan condemned the attack. The US embassy in Amman issued a security alert. It said Jordan had increased security at malls, foreign embassies and other sites.

Jordan has a small Christian minority and a record of foiling extremist plots. This attack is unusual in its scale. Investigators will now try to identify the shooters, trace their route and find any support network.

Citizens should treat early claims with care. Facts about motive often change in the first days. We covered a similar terror investigation in France earlier this week.

For families in Hamoud, the priority is burying their dead. Funerals are meant to be moments of shared grief. Any attack on worshippers or mourners is an attack on everyone’s freedom to gather in peace.

Al Jazeera has the full report on the royal response.

Fact basis: Al Jazeera (24 October 2026); ABC News (24 October 2026); Religion Media Centre bulletin (26 October 2026). Casualty figures differ between sources and may change.