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Jordanian Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour reported Saturday that one critically injured patient was still hanging on at Prince Ali Military Hospital in unstable condition. Government spokesperson Mohammad Momani helpfully clarified that the attackers “subscribed to ‘extremist takfiri ideology,’” the worldview that treats anyone who doesn’t share a sufficiently rigid reading of Islam as an apostate fair game for execution. Groups like ISIS have found this framework useful for murdering Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike.
Karak has a noticeable Christian minority, so Momani made sure to stress that Christians are “part of Jordan’s national fabric”—a reminder that apparently still needs issuing after events like this, which is sure to keep the jihadis at bay.
Whether the shooters had formal ties to any named terrorist organization [in addition to Islam] remains unclear, and Jordanian authorities had not announced any arrests as of Saturday. Footage aired on Jordanian state television showed two gunmen with what looked like pistols approaching the church and opening fire, according to the Associated Press. A third man carrying what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle joined them shortly afterward, and all three then moved toward the building.
Witness photos and video captured broken glass and pools of blood inside the church. Once police secured the scene, two bodies covered with blankets were visible outside.
Dorgham Halasa told the AP that intense gunfire broke out inside the church about 15 minutes after the funeral service started. People ran. Halasa said he did not see the gunmen himself, but others he spoke with described at least four attackers. Authorities had not confirmed the exact number as of Saturday.
King Abdullah II stated that Jordan will “confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties.” He continued: “Whoever imagines that the bullets of treachery can divide the ranks of Jordanians will fail in his endeavor before our steadfastness and unity. Our deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs, and our wishes for recovery to the wounded.”
The interior of a Greek Orthodox church hours after gunmen opened fire on Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo)
Jordan declared three days of national mourning, the state-run Petra News Agency reported.
The attack fits a pattern long familiar to anyone tracking Islamist violence against Christian communities in the region. Officials continue to describe the ideology as “extremist,” as though the problem is a narrow fringe rather than a recurring feature of certain doctrinal interpretations that treat non-adherents as legitimate targets. Maybe if they actually read the Qur'an, they might come to a different conclusion.
Jordan’s relative stability and the king’s response distinguish it from places where similar attacks have become routine and less vigorously condemned, but the underlying motive remains the one authorities themselves identified.
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