Jordan Arrests Three Men After Deadly Attack on Greek Orthodox Church

Jordanian security forces arrested three men on Monday in connection with an attack on a Greek Orthodox church, the country's Public Security Directorate said.

According to the directorate, the suspects were taken into custody after a shootout at dawn in Karak governorate, south of the capital, Amman. All three men were wounded. No members of the security forces were hurt in the operation. Karak is home to a minority Christian population.

The attack took place on Friday in the village of Hammoud, in Karak, while a funeral was being held at the church. Three men were reported to have taken part.

No group has claimed responsibility, and no armed organization has been publicly accused of carrying out the attack.

Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya said the three arrested men were the ones responsible. Speaking by phone to the state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka, he said the security services had "fulfilled their duties, resulting in the capture of those who carried out this terrorist act." He said the suspects "put up fierce resistance against the security forces, but were ultimately subdued and taken into custody, having sustained severe injuries."

Al-Faraya added that the three had been identified early on after the incident, and that security services used all the means at their disposal to apprehend them.

The Public Security Directorate said "terrorism has no place among us," and that the men had met their "just fate," according to the Reuters news agency. Reuters noted that the directorate did not name the suspects and did not point to any possible links to Islamist militant groups.

King Abdullah II directed authorities to respond with "an iron fist" against those he described as the outlaws of Islam and anyone seeking to undermine the unity of the Jordanian people.