Jordanian forces capture three gunmen after church funeral massacre

Jordanian security forces captured three armed men on Monday following a Friday funeral attack that killed nine people at a Greek Orthodox church.

The shooting occurred in the village of Hamoud, located in Karak governorate, which sits roughly 120 kilometres southwest of Amman. Witnesses reported that gunfire continued for several minutes, leaving 40 additional people wounded.

The Public Security Directorate stated that investigators located the three suspects hiding in an abandoned house. The men refused to surrender and opened fire on officers. Security forces returned fire, wounding all three men before taking them into custody. Officials confirmed that no security personnel were injured during the exchange and that they recovered multiple firearms and ammunition from the scene.

Authorities labeled the attackers as extremist terrorists, though no group has claimed responsibility for the violence. The directorate did not release the names of the suspects or confirm ties to specific Islamist militant organizations. In a statement, the directorate declared that terrorism has no place among them and that the suspects had met their just fate.

King Abdullah, a major United States partner in the region, ordered an iron fist response to the assault on the country's Christian minority. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said officials are examining factors that drive young people toward extremism. He added that anyone found to have participated in the attack would be held accountable.

The attack is rare in Jordan, a nation considered stable in the Middle East, although officials have disrupted several militant plots in previous years.