Three Held in Karak After Friday Church Attack Left Funeral Under Fire

Jordanian security forces took three men into custody on Monday after a shootout at dawn in Karak governorate, south of Amman. All three suspects were wounded in the exchange, and no members of the security forces were injured, according to the Public Security Directorate. The men are being held at a hospital.

The operation followed an attack on Friday in the village of Hammoud, where three men opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church. Karak is home to a minority Christian population. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident, and no armed organization has been publicly named as carrying it out. The Public Security Directorate has not identified the suspects or linked them to any Islamist militant groups, Reuters reported.

Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya said the three arrested men were those responsible. Speaking by phone to state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka, he said the security services had "fulfilled their duties, resulting in the capture of those who carried out this terrorist act." He added that the suspects "put up fierce resistance against the security forces, but were ultimately subdued and taken into custody, having sustained severe injuries." Al-Faraya said the men were identified shortly after the incident and that security services used all means at their disposal to apprehend them.

The Public Security Directorate said "terrorism has no place among us" and said the men had met their "just fate." King Abdullah II directed authorities to respond with "an iron fist" against those he described as the outlaws of Islam and anyone seeking to undermine the unity of the Jordanian people.

The Public Security Directorate did not name the suspects or provide information on their treatment.