The key facts
- Attack on the Hamoud church in Karak: seven killed, 34 wounded, the shooting took place during a funeral
- Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed expressed the UAE's full solidarity with Jordan in a call with Ayman Safadi
- King Abdullah II called the attack terrorist and promised to strike those responsible with an 'iron fist'
UAE diplomatic reaction
UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed held a phone call on Friday with Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi. He strongly condemned the shooting near a church in Jordan, which killed seven people and wounded 34, and expressed the Emirates' full solidarity with the kingdom. Sheikh Abdullah confirmed support for Jordan's measures to ensure security and stability and to protect citizens, residents and guests of the country, and also offered condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
UAE Foreign Ministry statement
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a separate statement, reaffirmed its strong condemnation of terrorist and criminal acts, rejecting all forms of violence, extremism and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability. The ministry also expressed condolences to Jordan and its people and to the families of the victims, and wished the wounded a speedy recovery.
Course of the attack
The shooting took place during a funeral at the Hamoud church in Karak province, where gunmen opened fire. According to Jordan's Public Security Directorate, 27 of the wounded were receiving treatment in hospitals, and security forces continued searching for the attackers. According to a relative of one of the victims, the gunmen arrived in a car, opened fire on the mourners and fled. A witness on Al Mamlaka TV said the shooting lasted about five minutes and that between 150 and 200 people were inside and near the church; most of the victims were people aged between 50 and 70. Surveillance camera footage shown by Al Mamlaka captured three shooters taking cover behind trees and a low wall before running toward the church entrance.
King's reaction and eyewitness accounts
King Abdullah II called the incident a terrorist attack and said it would be met with force. He promised to deal with those responsible and said the shooting would not undermine national unity. 'Every Jordanian life is precious, and we will strike with an iron fist those who dare to threaten our nation,' he said. A representative of the Halasa family in Karak told The National that three doctors were among the dead. 'It was a direct attack on the church. Christians were the target,' the relative said.
