by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
AMMAN, JORDAN (Worthy News) – Jordanian security forces have detained three men accused of carrying out one of the deadliest attacks against a church in the country in decades, killing nine people and wounding at least 34 others during a Christian funeral, authorities confirmed Monday.
The suspects, identified as two brothers and their brother-in-law, were reportedly captured following a pre-dawn gun battle at an abandoned house in Karak governorate, south of the capital, Amman.
Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said the men resisted arrest and exchanged gunfire with security forces, who wounded all three before taking them into custody. No security personnel were injured during the operation, and officers recovered firearms and ammunition from the hideout, according to the official Petra news agency.
Authorities identified Hazza’ Zaidan Muhammad as the alleged mastermind of Friday’s attack on St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud. His brother, Mish’al Zaidan Muhammad, and their brother-in-law, Ahmad Sami Hussein, were also detained.
Dramatic surveillance footage reviewed by Worthy News showed mourners fleeing in panic as gunmen attacked the church during Friday’s funeral. Armed men could be seen moving through the courtyard, while at least one person lay motionless on the ground.
EXTREMIST IDEOLOGY
Separate video released by Jordanian authorities showed heavily armed security officers during the operation to capture the suspects.
Officials described the suspects as followers of an extremist Islamist ideology, although investigators had not established links to an organized militant group. No organization has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Jordanian authorities said the suspects were seriously wounded during their arrest. Subsequent reports indicated that one was in critical condition while the other two were stable.
Interior Minister Mazen Al-Farrayeh pledged that anyone involved in the killings would be held accountable, saying authorities were also examining factors contributing to the radicalization of young people.
King Abdullah II praised security forces for pursuing those responsible and vowed that the attackers would face justice.
KING CONDEMNS ATTACK
“We vowed the terrorists would not escape punishment, and no proponent of dark ideologies that divide Jordanians will be tolerated,” the monarch wrote on social media platform X.
“We pray that the martyrs’ souls rest in peace and wish the injured a speedy recovery. May God protect and watch over Jordan and its people,” he added.
The killings have shaken Jordan’s Christian minority and raised concerns about religious extremism in a country widely regarded as a relatively stable haven for Christians in the Middle East.
Christian leaders condemned the attack and appealed for national unity, emphasizing that the violence should not undermine relations between the country’s Muslim majority and Christian minority.
Rif’at Bader, a prominent Jordanian Catholic priest, described the attack as a tragedy affecting Jordanians regardless of their religious background and urged communities to preserve peaceful coexistence.
JORDAN’S CHRISTIAN MINORITY
Authorities said investigations were continuing to establish the full circumstances of the shooting, including whether others had assisted the attackers.
Attacks against churches and Christian worshippers are relatively rare in Jordan. Friday’s shooting has been described as the deadliest assault on the country’s Christian community since the mid-1950s.
Historical accounts describe sectarian violence in Madaba, a town with a substantial Christian population, during the 1950s. Clashes between Muslims and Christians reportedly caused casualties on both sides, although the precise circumstances and death toll remain disputed.
Jordan also experienced a major terrorist attack in Karak in December 2016, when Islamic State militants attacked security forces and civilians, killing 10 people, including seven police officers and a Canadian tourist. Unlike Friday’s shooting, that assault did not specifically target Christian worshippers.
Jordan ranks 49th on the 2026 World Watch List compiled by Christian advocacy organization Open Doors, which monitors persecution of Christians worldwide.
The organization says Christians generally enjoy relatively broad religious freedom in Jordan, although converts from Islam and members of unrecognized churches can face discrimination, family pressure and threats from extremists.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
