Jordanian Police Wound Three Suspects After Three-Hour Standoff
Eight people died in a church ambush in Karak on Friday, and authorities have now secured the three armed men responsible after they refused to surrender.
By Lorenzo Marshall ·
Three armed men sustained serious injuries when Jordanian security forces returned fire during a three-hour standoff on Monday. The confrontation ended after the suspects, who killed eight people in a church ambush earlier in the week, refused to surrender from a hideout in the Karak governorate.
The timeline of the crisis began on Friday when three gunmen opened fire at a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud. The attack, located about 120 kilometers southwest of Amman, resulted in eight deaths and 40 injuries, according to the Ministry of Health. By Monday, 27 of the injured were still hospitalized. The director of Prince Ali Military Hospital in Karak confirmed that one patient remained in critical condition following surgery.
Security forces tracked the remaining suspects to an abandoned house in the nearby village of Al-Jadeeda on Monday. The Public Security Directorate stated that the men attacked the officers before being wounded and taken into custody. One suspect was in critical condition due to the injuries sustained during the firefight. A search of the property yielded firearms and live ammunition, and no security personnel were reported injured.
Government Communication Minister Mohammad Momani described the capture as a successful joint operation in a statement posted on X. He confirmed that all three suspects were injured and detained after the brief exchange of fire. The Public Security Directorate added that the suspects had met their just fate without naming specific affiliated groups.
King Abdullah II ordered a review of the country’s security procedures for responding to attacks. He pledged that those behind the violence would face the harshest penalties. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said authorities are also reviewing the circumstances that lead young people to embrace violence. He stated that anyone found to have participated in the attack would be held accountable.
The Karak region is home to a large portion of Jordan’s Christian minority, which numbers about 300,000 of the country’s 11.5 million residents. The attack has drawn national attention to security protocols in areas with significant religious communities. Authorities continue to treat the three captured men as the primary suspects in the deadly shooting.
Source: Al Jazeera
