UPDATE 2 - Death toll from funeral attack at church in southern Jordan’s Karak rises to 7, with 27 injured

UPDATES DEATH TOLL, ADDS DETAILS, REVISES HEAD, LEDE, CHANGES DECK

By Laith Al-jnaidi and Rania Abushamala

AMMAN, Jordan/ISTANBUL (AA) - The death toll from an attack on mourners attending a funeral at Hamoud Church in Jordan’s southern Karak governorate rose to seven, with 27 others injured, Public Security Director Obaidallah Maaytah said on Friday.

The updated figures were announced at a news conference by Jordanian officials in Karak.

Earlier, the Public Security Directorate reported six killed and 28 injured.

Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh said Jordan suffered a “terrorist operation” carried out by a group of extremists, and described the attack as “a horrific act” that should be “condemned in every respect.”

Security agencies are working around the clock to track down the perpetrators, he added.

“It is early to discuss the perpetrators and their affiliations,” Al Farrayeh said, citing the ongoing investigation.

The minister offered condolences to the victims’ families, residents of Hamoud village and Karak governorate, and Jordanians nationwide, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

Al Farrayeh described the attackers as a group “whose actions bore no relation to humanitarian values.”

Earilier, public broadcaster Al-Mamlaka TV, citing an unnamed source, reported that two gunmen stepped out of a vehicle and opened fire at the funeral.

An eyewitness told the channel that the assailants fired continuously for about five minutes before fleeing. Between 150 and 200 people were inside and outside the church, the witness said.

Amman Attorney General Hassan Abdallat imposed a publication ban on the case, exempting official state media.

The order prohibits broadcast, print and social media outlets from publishing or circulating news or information about the case or the investigation, including photographs and videos, under threat of legal action.

Jordan's King Abdullah said the "terrorist attack" will be met with the "harshest retaliation."

"Those who delude themselves into thinking that they can divide Jordanians with their bullets have no chance in the face of our unity," the monarch wrote on US social media platform X. "All Jordanians, from north to south, are partners in land and fate, and nothing stands between them."

He conveyed deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. "Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation," he said.

Rania R.a. Abushamala