Jordan Tightens Security as Church Attack Death Toll Rises to Eight
AMMAN, October 24 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - Jordan increased security at malls, foreign embassies and other locations as authorities searched for gunmen who killed eight people and wounded 40 in an attack on a church during a funeral.
The U.S. Embassy in Amman reported the heightened security on Saturday, a day after the shooting at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate.
The attackers opened fire for several minutes in broad daylight. Jordanian authorities described the attack as an act of extreme terrorism.
Security forces continued searching for the gunmen on Saturday. Authorities said it was too early to establish whether they had links to groups inside or outside Jordan.
Reuters footage showed police patrolling outside the church in Hamoud, about 120 kilometers southwest of Amman.
Prime Minister Jafar Hassan condemned the attack as the result of extremist ideology and said Jordan would not allow society to follow that path.
King Abdullah II visited Karak hours after the shooting and pledged a firm response against those responsible.
Attacks of this kind are rare in Jordan, although authorities say they have disrupted militant plots in recent years. The country’s Christian minority and biblical sites draw pilgrims from around the world.
Source: Reuters.
