The death toll from the shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan's Karak governorate rose to nine on Saturday, October 24, according to the country's Public Security Directorate. The attack took place a day earlier as mourners gathered for a funeral at St. George's Church in the village of Hamoud, around 90 kilometres south of Amman.
Jordan's state news agency Petra reported that another person died from injuries on Saturday, raising the official toll to nine. The first government briefing had listed seven deaths and 34 injuries. Later reports from Reuters and the Associated Press said about 40 people were wounded, reflecting updates issued as hospitals and security agencies consolidated their figures.
Attack unfolded during funeral prayers
Survivors told international news agencies that gunfire began shortly after prayers started. Video shown by Jordanian state television appeared to show three attackers approaching the church, firing from outside and moving toward the entrance. Reuters said it verified the location of the footage using the church's entry path, wall and surrounding details.
The Associated Press reported that witnesses saw masked armed men fire indiscriminately at people outside the church and at the building. The account is included to describe the sequence of events, not to identify the attackers. Jordanian authorities had not publicly named suspects or confirmed a motive by the latest update.
No group immediately claimed responsibility. The government described the shooting as a terrorist act carried out by extremists, but Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya said it was too early to determine whether those responsible were linked to a known organisation inside or outside Jordan. Reporting should therefore distinguish the government's classification of the attack from any unproven attribution.
Security tightened as investigation continues
Public Security Directorate chief Obaidullah Al-Maaytah said the search for the attackers was continuing and that those responsible would be brought to justice. Security was increased at shopping centres, foreign embassies and other locations, according to Reuters. The heightened measures did not establish that additional attacks were imminent.
King Abdullah II visited Karak and wounded victims in hospital. He condemned the attack and said authorities would respond firmly. Jordanian officials also stressed national unity and rejected attempts to divide Muslim and Christian communities.
Karak has a long-established Christian minority and the church attack was unusual in a country generally regarded as one of the region's more stable states. The shooting targeted civilians attending a funeral, not a military gathering. The latest reporting did not establish that the church itself had previously received a specific threat.
Casualty figures remain subject to official updates
The official death toll of nine was confirmed by the Public Security Directorate through Petra at 5:30 p.m. local time on October 24. AP reported nearly 40 wounded, while Reuters cited 40. Three injured people were later discharged from hospital, according to a separate Petra update, but the condition of every remaining patient was not publicly detailed.
Because the toll changed several times during the day, earlier reports listing seven or eight deaths are not necessarily contradictory; they reflect the information available at different times. The nine-death figure is the latest verified total used in this article.
The investigation remained active, and neither a final account of the attackers nor a confirmed motive had been released. Any claim assigning responsibility to a particular group would require a new statement from Jordanian authorities or independently verified evidence.
