Seven killed in Jordan church shooting

PM terms attack 'result of terrorist extremist blind thinking'

AMMAN:

Seven people were killed and 34 injured on Friday when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at Hamoud Church in Jordan's Karak governorate, in a rare attack on the country's Christian minority, the head of the Public Security Directorate said.

Abdallah al-Maaytah said most of the wounded remained under treatment, while security forces continued searching for the attackers. Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh described the assailants as "extremists", but said it was too early to establish links to known groups.

An eyewitness told Al-Mamlaka that a vehicle arrived carrying the gunmen, who fired continuously for five minutes before fleeing the scene. Between 150 and 200 people were inside and around the church at the time, the witness said, adding that most of the victims were aged between 50 and 70.

King Abdullah visited Karak hours after the shooting and vowed the perpetrators would face the "harshest retaliation", warning that attempts to divide Jordanians would fail. Jordan's prime minister said the attack was the result of "terrorist extremist blind thinking". Karak is home to a significant Christian community in the Muslim-majority kingdom.