Thousands of mourners have gathered for the funerals of eight of the victims of a deadly attack on a church in southern Jordan, with Prime Minister Jafar Hassan also in attendance. The burials on Sunday were beside St George’s Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud, southwest of the capital, Amman, two days after attackers opened fire during another funeral there. Nine people were killed and dozens wounded in a rare attack on Jordan’s Christian minority, prompting three days of national mourning.
The ninth victim, Mohammed al-Qasous, is due to be buried on Monday, his family told the news agency. Coffins wrapped in Jordanian flags were carried through crowds gathered around the church in Karak province, as priests led prayers and security personnel stood guard. Prime Minister Hassan attended the service alongside government ministers and senior military and civilian officials, according to Jordan’s state news agency, Petra.
Thousands of citizens also participated in the funeral procession, Petra said. Among those caught in Friday’s shooting was Sahar al-Halsa, who told the news agency from her nearby home that she sheltered behind a pillar as gunfire erupted and people screamed. When she rushed outside, she found her cousin Assem lying wounded.
He briefly opened his eyes before dying, she said. Father Yohanna Hamati told that about 170 to 200 people were at the church for Friday’s funeral when firing began outside. The mourners initially struggled to understand what was happening, he said, before people began rushing into the church to escape.
By Saturday, bullet holes remained in the walls and wooden pews, and windows had been shattered. Church workers were cleaning away blood as villagers prepared to bury the dead. Jordanian authorities have described the attack as “extremist terrorism”.
King Abdullah, who visited some of the wounded in hospital on Friday, has promised a forceful response and the assailants are still being sought. Officials say they have not established whether the attackers were connected to an armed group and no organisation has claimed responsibility. The violence has also drawn expressions of solidarity across religious lines.
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