Jordan Tightens Security After Deadly Church Attack Kills Seven

AP

Jordan's King Abdullah II says church shooters will be punished "with an iron fist".

Security was stepped up across Jordan on Saturday, with additional measures introduced at shopping centres, foreign embassies and other locations, the US Embassy in Amman said. The move came a day after a deadly attack on a church, which authorities described as a terrorist act carried out by extremists.

Seven people were killed and 40 others injured when gunmen opened fire for several minutes in broad daylight during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate, according to the head of Jordan’s Public Security Directorate.

No group had immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Such incidents are rare in Jordan, although authorities in the US-allied kingdom say they have repeatedly foiled plots by Islamist militants in recent years.

Officials said the search for the attackers was continuing, adding that it was too early to establish whether they had links to known groups operating inside or outside Jordan.

"This is a result of a terrorist ideology and blind extremism and we will not allow society to go down this path," ⁠Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said in a post on X.

Jordan's King Abdullah, a US partner in the fight against militant Islamist groups, visited Karak hours after the attack and said the perpetrators would be ⁠punished "with an iron fist".

Christians make up a minority of Jordan's population. The country is home to several biblical sites that attract Christian pilgrims from around the world. Jordan has been among ⁠the US allies in the Middle East to be hit by Iranian attacks this year after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February.



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