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Türkiye strongly condemned Friday's armed attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan’s Karak governorate that reportedly killed at least 8 people during a funeral, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement on Saturday.
Gunmen opened fire on mourners in the village of Hamoud, and Jordan's King Abdullah II vowed the "harshest retaliation" as security forces hunt the attackers.
"We strongly condemn the armed attack on a church in Karak, Jordan," the ministry said.
"We extend our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the attack and to the people of Jordan, and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," it said.
"We reiterate our solidarity with Jordan following this heinous attack, which targeted the country’s unity and peace," the statement added.
Unidentified gunmen opened fire on St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud, Jordanian authorities said. Two assailants stepped out of a vehicle and opened fire during a funeral, public broadcaster Al-Mamlaka reported, citing an unnamed source.
Footage aired by Al-Mamlaka showed two gunmen in casual clothes brandishing pistols and a third carrying a long gun. A witness told the broadcaster the gunmen fired continuously for five minutes before fleeing.
Between 150 and 200 people were in and around the church at the time, and most victims were between 50 and 70, the witness said.
The attack killed at least 8 people and injured 27. Director of Public Security Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al-Maaytah said 34 were injured, 27 of whom were still receiving treatment.
Health Minister Ibrahim Al-Badour said Saturday that 27 people remain in hospitals, two of them in critical condition, according to Jordan’s Petra news agency.
"A massacre, a massacre in every sense of the word," Tarek Ammarin, whose relative was injured, told Reuters at a hospital.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
"The terrorist attack against Karak will be met with the harshest retaliation," King Abdullah II said in an English-language post on X.
"We will strike with an iron fist against those who dare to threaten our nation," he noted.
"Those who delude themselves into thinking that they can divide Jordanians with their bullets have no chance in the face of our unity. All Jordanians, from north to south, are partners in land and fate, and nothing stands between them. Our deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured. Every Jordanian life is precious," he added.
The king visited the injured at Karak Government Hospital on Friday evening.
"This country is ours and we will not abandon it; we will never abandon it," an injured man told him.
Prime Minister Jafar Hassan declared three days of national mourning starting Oct. 23 and ordered flags lowered to half-staff at government institutions.
The government said the decision reflected "the grief of all Jordanians and their solidarity in this painful tragedy."
"This is a result of a terrorist ideology and blind extremism and we will not allow society to go down this path," Hassan said on X.
Security was stepped up Saturday at malls, foreign embassies and other locations across Jordan, the U.S. Embassy in Amman said.
Officials and institutions from 11 Arab countries condemned the attack, as did the Arab League and the Arab Interior Ministers Council.
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy called attacks on places of worship "an unacceptable terrorist act and a crime condemned by every standard."
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called it a "heinous terrorist attack" that "reaffirms once again that terrorism has no religion and no homeland, and its aim is to strike at coexistence and spread strife."
A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said "an attack not only on a place of worship, but during a funeral procession, is especially heinous."
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on X that targeting a place of worship was "an affront to our shared humanity."
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pledged support for Jordan against "all forms of violence and terrorism." Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Syria and Iraq also voiced support for Jordan.
The Palestinian presidency, Hamas and Palestine's Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs condemned the attack. The committee urged churches to ring their bells and called for a solidarity gathering on Sunday in Bethlehem’s Manger Square.
Christians make up 2 to 3% of Jordan’s population, and Karak is home to a significant Christian community.
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