Jordan arrests three suspects in deadly church attack

AMMAN — Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects on Monday, days after an attack on a Greek Orthodox Church that killed nine people and wounded more than two dozen others, state media reported.The Public Security Directorate said the three suspects were arrested following a shootout and that all three were wounded.The suspects were located on Monday while hiding in an abandoned house in the village of Al-Jadeeda in Karak, the directorate said.The suspects refused to surrender and attacked security forces who returned fire, wounding all three men, the directorate said in a statement.A Jordanian government source told Al Jazeera that one of the suspects was in a critical condition as a result of the injuries sustained during the fighting, which lasted for about three hours.No casualties were reported among security personnel, and a search of the site yielded firearms and live ammunition, according to Jordan’s Petra News Agency.“Terrorism has no place among us,” the directorate said, adding that the ⁠suspects had met their “just fate” while not mentioning any specific affiliated groups.Jordan’s Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya identified the three men as those responsible for the church attack.“The security services have fulfilled their duties, resulting in the capture of those who carried out this terrorist act,” he said in a phone interview with state TV Al-Mamlaka.“They put up fierce resistance against the security forces, but were ultimately subdued and taken into custody, having sustained severe injuries.”In a statement posted on X early on Monday, Government Communication Minister Mohammad Momani commended the efforts of security forces involved in what he called a successful joint operation. Momani confirmed that all three suspects were injured and taken into custody following fighting after they refused to surrender.On Friday, three gunmen opened fire at a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud in Karak, about ‌120 km southwest of the capital, Amman, killing eight people and injuring 40, according to Jordan’s Ministry of Health.Of the injured, 27 remained in hospital on Monday. The director of Prince Ali Military Hospital in the city of Karak said one person was in critical condition after undergoing surgery.Karak is home to many members of Jordan’s Christian minority, which makes up about 300,000 of the country’s 11.5 million people.King Abdullah II said those behind the attack would face the “harshest penalties” as he offered his condolences to the victims’ families. He has ordered a review of the country’s security procedures for responding to attacks.