7 dead, 40 wounded after gunmen open fire during funeral at Greek Orthodox church in Jordan
Gunfire erupted roughly 15 minutes after funeral started, witness says
Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a church in Jordan on Friday, killing seven people and wounding 40 others, authorities said.
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authorities → wound → others
The shooting took place at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 180 kilometres south of the capital, Amman.
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shooting → take → capital
Footage broadcast on Jordanian state television showed two gunmen, apparently armed with pistols, approaching the church and firing shots.
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gunmen → broadcast → shots
A third man, apparently carrying a semi-automatic rifle, then approached and fired before all three ran toward the church.
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three → carry → church
Video taken by witnesses showed broken glass and pools of blood on the church floor.
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Video → take → floor
Unclear if any gunmen captured, killed
Dorgham Halasa, who was among the mourners inside the church, said intense gunfire erupted about 15 minutes after the funeral began and people started running.
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people → capture → church
"It was a weird situation, and heavy gunfire," Halasa said.
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Halasa → say → ?
He did not see the gunmen but said other people reported seeing four of them.
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people → see → them
The Associated Press could not independently verify the number of assailants, and Jordan's security services did not immediately release details.
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services → verify → details
Gendarmerie forces are seen standing guard outside Al-Karak Government Hospital, where some of the injured persons are being treated.
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some → see → persons
A government statement said that the attack was "carried out by unknown assailants" but did not say whether any gunmen had been captured or killed.
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gunmen → say → assailants
It said "investigations are underway at full speed."
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investigations → say → speed
Jordan declared three days of national mourning, according to the kingdom's Petra News Agency.
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Jordan → declare → Agency
In 2016, gunmen ambushed police in a series of attacks in Karak, including at a Crusader castle popular with tourists, killing 10 people, including seven officers and a Canadian tourist, and wounding dozens.
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gunmen → ambush → dozens
Jordanian security forces killed those gunmen after a long standoff.
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forces → kill → standoff
2 people in critical condition
Jordan's Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said two of the wounded are in critical condition.
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two → say → condition
A view of the interior of the church is seen, through a shattered window, on Friday.
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view → see → Friday
King Abdullah II said on X that Jordan "will confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties" and offered his "deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs, and our wishes for recovery to the wounded."
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that → say → wounded
Jordan's Prime Minister Jafar Hassan said during a security meeting in Karak on Friday evening that the attack was the result of terrorist ideology and blind extremism.
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attack → say → ideology
He said the assailants would be punished and legal measures taken against those who seek to introduce extremism.
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who → say → extremism
Condemnation of the killings came from around the region, including from Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Oman.
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Condemnation → come → Lebanon
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein called his Jordanian counterpart and "affirmed Iraq's solidarity with Jordan in the face of terrorism," Hussein's office said in a statement.
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office → call → statement
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the attack during a funeral as "especially heinous," spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.
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Dujarric → condemn → funeral
"The secretary-general also calls for all those responsible to be found and to be held to account."
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those → call → account
The Aporia
