7 killed, 34 injured in funeral shooting inside church in S. Jordan

Seven people were killed and 34 others injured in a shooting attack during a funeral in Jordan's southern governorate of Karak, the Jordanian Public Security Directorate said Friday, reported Xinhua.

The casualties occurred when armed individuals opened fire inside a church in Karak, the directorate said earlier.

A spokesperson for the directorate said in a statement that the criminal act was carried out by unidentified individuals, noting that investigations are proceeding intensively.

Jordan's King Abdullah II described the attack on social media platform X as a "terrorist attack," saying it will be met with the harshest retaliation.

Minister of Government Communication Mohammad Al-Momani said on X that Prime Minister Jafar Hassan would chair a meeting in Karak to oversee the authorities' response to this "heinous terrorist crime."

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday strongly condemned a terrorist attack on a funeral service in a church in Jordan's southern governorate of Karak earlier in the day, said his spokesman.

The secretary-general reiterated that attacks against civilians and places of worship are unacceptable. Places of worship must be places of peace and must be safe for all, said his spokesman Stephane Dujarric in a statement.

Guterres stressed that those responsible must be identified and brought to justice. He expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wished for a swift recovery to those injured, said the spokesman.

The United Nations stands with the government and people of Jordan, said the spokesman.