Karak Church Shooting: Three Armed Men Detained After Firefight

Jordanian security forces detained three armed men on Monday after a shootout in the city of Karak. The suspects are connected to the Friday attack on a Greek Orthodox church in the nearby village of Hamoud, which left nine people dead and forty others injured.

State television reported that the three men were hiding in an abandoned house in Karak when officers located them. According to a statement from the Public Security Directorate, the suspects refused to surrender and opened fire on the responding units. All three were wounded in the exchange before being taken into custody. The directorate confirmed that no security personnel were injured during the operation.

Officials found several firearms and ammunition in possession of the detained men. While authorities have labeled the attackers as extremist terrorists, no group has publicly claimed responsibility for the violence. The directorate noted that the suspects had met their just fate, a phrase included in the official release.

The attack occurred during a funeral service in Hamoud, located roughly 120 kilometers southwest of Amman. Witnesses described the shooting as lasting several minutes. King Abdullah ordered security forces to respond with an iron fist to the incident, emphasizing the need to protect the country's Christian minority.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya stated that officials are currently examining the circumstances that lead young people toward extremism. He added that anyone found to have participated in the attack would be held accountable. The directorate did not name the suspects or link them to a specific Islamist group, though Jordan has historically been considered stable in the region.