Survivor recounts Jordan church attack where gunmen returned to fire again

The Story

A survivor of a deadly attack on a church in Jordan described people crawling for their lives as gunmen returned and fired again at those who had been hit, including at the church facade.

The survivor said the death toll rose to nine on Saturday, a day after the attack, with nearly 40 others wounded.

The shooting targeted a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of Amman. Karak is home to a minority Christian population.

Jordan’s government described the attack as a “terrorist” act, but the motivation remained unknown and no claim of responsibility had been made. No armed group had been accused of carrying out the attack.

King Abdullah II directed authorities to respond with “an iron fist” against what he called the outlaws of Islam and anyone attempting to undermine the unity of the Jordanian people.

The survivor said the attack happened as people had gathered for a funeral. They described hearing something like an engine backfiring and then seeing three masked men with automatic weapons begin firing indiscriminately at those standing outside the church.

The survivor said the attackers “weren’t satisfied with just the initial casualties,” and that they returned to fire again. They also said the gunmen came to the facade, where they continued firing.

The survivor said some people they knew were shot in the head or the back as others tried to flee. They described dropping to the ground and crawling behind a nearby car, saying it helped them survive.

The survivor added that Karak had once been seen as a symbol of religious coexistence and said the sense of security had “sadly, vanished,” describing those targeted as “simply mourners at a funeral.”