Seven shot dead by gunmen at church funeral in Jordan, officials say

Fonte da imagem, ReutersLegenda da imagem, Entre 150 e 200 pessoas estavam na igreja no momento do tiroteio, segundo um testemunho.

• Published23 October 2026, 13:55 BST.

Seven people have been killed in an attack on a funeral in central Jordan, officials have said.

Pelo menos 34 outras pessoas ficaram feridas quando atiradores abriram fogo em uma igreja em Hmoud, no governadorado de Karak, na sexta‑feira.

The unidentified gunmen are reported to have arrived in a car, entered the church and opened fire before fleeing. No-one has admitted carrying out the attack.

In a news conference, Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said authorities were working to apprehend the perpetrators which he described as a "group of extremists.

Jordan's King Abdullah II, said the authorities would "confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties.

Whoever imagines that the bullets of treachery can divide the ranks of Jordanians will fail in his endeavour before our steadfastness and unity," the king added in a post on X.

Dezenas de pessoas estavam dentro da igreja para o funeral quando o tiroteio começou, disse Khaled Burqan, um dos enlutados, à TV estatal al‑Mamlaka da Jordânia.

He said two attackers armed with a rifle and a pistol had been firing at the mourners for several minutes.

Al-Faraya acrescentou que o incidente foi “doloroso e horrível” e “sem precedentes na história do Reino Háshemita da Jordânia”, durante sua coletiva de imprensa.

Public service television station al-Mamlaka has reported the king arrived in Karak on Friday evening "to check on the condition of the injured.

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Security officials and members of the public gathered outside the Greek Orthodox church on Friday.

Initial reports indicated seven people had been killed in the attack. A government spokesperson later said six people had died, before officials again revised the death toll to seven.

Filmagens de CFTV, verificadas pela BBC, parecem mostrar três atiradores se dirigindo de uma estrada em direção à igreja.

Two of the attackers are seen making their way on to what appears to be a vehicle entrance to the church grounds, before retreating briefly and returning with a third man.

Todos os três parecem estar armados com pistolas.

Separate footage believed to be from the aftermath of the attack appears to show several dead and wounded bodies on the ground amid some chaotic scenes.

Legenda da figura, Observe: filmagem de CCTV parece mostrar atiradores perto da igreja.

There was a heavy security presence at the entrance to a hospital treating people injured in the incident in Karak, amid an atmosphere charged with anger among residents of the governorate, particularly the families of those injured and killed.

Karak has a sizeable Christian community in the majority-Muslim Jordan.

Tal violência é rara no país, mas ataques mortais já foram realizados no passado.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun, a Christian head of state, said the "heinous terrorist attack" on the church "violated the sanctity of death and funeral mourners, contradicts all religious and humanitarian values," according to Lebanese media.

Additional reporting by Majd Gousous, BBC Arabic.

Em números

• Fonte da imagem, ReutersLegenda da imagem, Entre 150 e 200 pessoas estavam na igreja no momento do tiroteio, segundo