On October 23, 2026, armed men opened fire during a funeral service at St George's Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hmoud, located in the Karak governorate in southern Jordan.
Key Details of the Attack
Casualties: The attack killed between 7 and 9 people and wounded approximately 34 to 40 others. Among the attendees offering condolences were local Muslim neighbors.
The Assailants: Three related Jordanian citizens armed with handguns and a semiautomatic rifle carried out the shooting.
Aftermath and Arrests: Following a massive manhunt and a shootout at a hideout in al-Jadeeda on October 26, 2026, security forces captured all three suspects.
Official Response: King Abdullah II condemned the event as a terrorist attack and vowed a severe response. Jordan declared three days of national mourning, and the Royal Jordanian Air Force later carried out airstrikes targeting the Islamic State in southern Syria.
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Jordanian authorities have attributed the attack to extremist takfiri ideology. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan and other top officials stated that the suspects subscribe to this radical belief system, which views non-Muslims and other Muslims who do not share their hardline views as apostates or unbelievers, claiming a self-declared right to kill them.
While the government confirmed the three suspects held these extremist beliefs, no major international terrorist organization has formally claimed responsibility for the assault.
The Royal Jordanian Air Force subsequently carried out retaliatory airstrikes targeting Islamic State elements in southern Syria, reflecting suspicions regarding the attackers' broader ties or ideological alignment.
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