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

AMMAN, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- 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.

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."