Jordan arrests three men in church shooting that killed nine

Jordanian security forces detained three armed men on Monday in connection with a funeral attack that claimed nine lives, state television reported. The arrests followed a multi-day search after the shooting occurred on Friday at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud, located in the Karak governorate.

The attack took place roughly 120 kilometers southwest of Amman. Witnesses described several minutes of gunfire during the service. In total, nine people were killed and 40 others sustained injuries.

The Public Security Directorate said officers tracked the suspects to an abandoned house in Karak. The men refused to surrender and opened fire on the police. Security forces returned fire, wounding all three before taking them into custody. Officials stated that no officers were hurt during the exchange and that they recovered multiple firearms and ammunition from the scene.

Authorities have labeled the attackers as extremist terrorists, although no group has claimed responsibility. The directorate did not release the names of the suspects or confirm links to specific militant organizations. King Abdullah, a close partner of the United States in counterterrorism efforts, ordered security forces to respond with an iron fist to the rare assault on the country's Christian minority.

Violence of this type is unusual in Jordan, a nation generally viewed as stable in the Middle East. Officials have previously dismantled several Islamist militant plots. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said authorities are examining why young people are drawn to extremism. He added that anyone found to have participated in the attack would face accountability.