[DM] Gunmen killed at least seven people and wounded 34 at a church in southern Jordan today in a rare attack on Christians in the majority Sunni Muslim kingdom.
Assailants stormed the compound of a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hammoud in Karak governorate before opening fire.
The tally of the dead and wounded has been revised as authorities investigate the deadly attack. At least 27 of those wounded have been sent to hospital for treatment.
The gunmen got out of a vehicle and opened fire during a funeral procession, authorities said, adding that a manhunt is underway for the perpetrators.
Footage aired by state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka showed the moment of the attack.
In the video, two gunmen are seen dressed in casual clothes and brandishing pistols, with a third carrying a long gun, before they open fire on the church from an entrance on the street and charge forwards.
Footage taken from inside the church showed several people lying bleeding and injured on the floor as the people around them tend to their wounds.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but the country's interior minister said it was carried out by a 'group of extremists', without naming the perpetrators.
Minister of Government Communications Mohammed Al-Momani said security forces were investigating the attack. Jordan's King Abdullah, meanwhile, said those who carried out the attack will be punished with 'an iron fist'.
He wrote in a post to X: 'The terrorist attack against Karak will be met with the harshest retaliation. Those who delude themselves into thinking that they can divide Jordanians with their bullets have no chance in the face of our unity.
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