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Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects in a dawn raid in Karak on Monday, three days after gunmen attacked a funeral at St George's Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud, Al Jazeera reported.
The attack happened on Friday, October 23, during a funeral service. State television footage showed two gunmen with pistols approaching the church, followed by a third man with a semiautomatic rifle, according to The Associated Press. A mourner told the AP that heavy gunfire began about 15 minutes into the service. Authorities first reported seven people killed and 40 wounded. Al Jazeera's later count was at least eight dead and 34 wounded, and the eight victims were buried in Karak on Sunday.
The government's first statement said only that the attack was carried out by unknown assailants, and it did not say whether any gunmen had been captured. Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said two of the wounded were in critical condition.
Interior Minister Mazin al-Farrayeh said on Monday that all three suspects are Jordanian. Security forces found them hiding in an abandoned house in al-Jadeeda village, about a six-minute drive from Hamoud. A government source told Al Jazeera the men refused to surrender and fired on officers, and that the gun battle lasted about three hours. All three suspects were injured, one critically. The state news agency Petra said officers recovered firearms and ammunition.
No group has claimed responsibility, and officials have described the attackers only as extremists. King Abdullah II ordered security forces to respond with an "iron fist," and Prime Minister Jafar Hassan declared three days of national mourning.
Karak has a small Christian minority and a history of militant violence. In 2016, gunmen killed 10 people there, including seven police officers, according to the AP. Governments across the region condemned the latest attack, including Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Oman and Iraq. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned it and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
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