Jordan arrests three suspects over deadly church attack

Jordanian security forces have arrested three suspects in connection with a shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in the southern governorate of Karak that killed nine people, state television reported on 26 October.

The suspects were detained after a gunfight at an abandoned house where they had been hiding, according to Jordan’s Public Security Directorate. All three were wounded during the operation, while no security personnel were injured.

The shooting took place on 23 October during a funeral at St George’s Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud, around 120km south-west of Amman. The attack killed nine people and wounded dozens more, according to reports by Reuters and the Associated Press.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said the authorities had identified the suspects shortly after the attack and pursued them until their arrest.

“The security services have fulfilled their duties, resulting in the capture of those who carried out this terrorist act,” Al-Faraya said in comments carried by Jordan’s state television, according to the Associated Press.

The Public Security Directorate said the suspects refused to surrender when officers located them early on Monday. They opened fire on the security force, which returned fire before arresting them, the directorate said in a statement published by the state news agency Petra.

Officers subsequently recovered firearms and ammunition from the suspects and the location where they were found, the directorate said.

Authorities have described the shooting as an extremist terrorist attack. No group has claimed responsibility, and officials have not publicly identified any organisational links involving the suspects.

Al-Faraya said investigators were examining the circumstances that may have led young people towards extremism. He also said those involved in the attack would be held accountable.

The arrests followed several days of searches after the gunmen fled the church compound. King Abdullah II had called for a firm response and ordered a review of measures to counter extremist ideology and strengthen security.

The attack has shaken Jordan’s Christian community, a minority in the predominantly Muslim country. Violence of this kind is unusual in Jordan, although authorities have previously announced that they had disrupted plots linked to Islamist militant groups.

The number of people injured has varied across published accounts. Reuters reported 40 wounded, while an AFP report published by Ahram Online on 24 October said 25 people remained in hospital.

The latest announcement confirms that all three suspects have been taken into custody. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not publicly disclosed further details about their identities or possible affiliations.