Jordan: 3 Suspects Wounded After 8 Die in Church Attack

Security forces in Jordan have detained three armed suspects following a three-hour firefight in the village of Al-Jadeeda. The Public Security Directorate announced on Monday that the men were found hiding in an abandoned house in the Karak governorate. They refused to surrender and opened fire on officers, who returned fire and wounded all three before taking them into custody.

A government source told Al Jazeera that the suspects sustained serious injuries during the confrontation. One of the men remained in critical condition as of Monday. The Petra News Agency reported that no security personnel were killed in the exchange. Investigators recovered firearms and live ammunition from the scene.

The arrests conclude a search for the gunmen responsible for a deadly attack earlier in the week. On Friday, three shooters opened fire at a funeral inside a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud. The ministry of health said eight people were killed and 40 were injured in the blast. Hamoud is located approximately 120 kilometers southwest of the capital, Amman.

Twenty-seven of the injured victims were still hospitalized on Monday. The director of Prince Ali Military Hospital in Karak stated that one patient remained in critical condition after undergoing surgery. The Karak governorate is home to a large portion of Jordan’s Christian minority, which numbers about 300,000 out of a total population of 11.5 million.

Government Communication Minister Mohammad Momani praised the security forces for what he described as a successful joint operation. He confirmed on social media that all three suspects were injured during the engagement. The Public Security Directorate issued a statement declaring that "Terrorism has no place among us." It added that the suspects had met their "just fate" but did not name a specific group as being behind the attack.

King Abdullah II ordered a review of national security procedures for responding to such incidents. He told the families of the victims that those responsible would face the "harshest penalties." Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said authorities were examining the factors that lead young people to embrace violence. He stated that anyone found to have participated in the attack would be held accountable.