Jordanian security forces detained three individuals on Monday over the armed assault on a Greek Orthodox church, state television reported.
Specialised investigation and raid teams executed a joint security operation to apprehend the three suspects, according to the broadcaster. All three individuals sustained injuries during an armed clash with authorities.
The assault occurred on Friday when gunmen entered St. George’s Church in the village of Hammoud in Karak governorate. The attackers opened fire during a funeral procession, killing nine people and wounding 25 others.
Karak has a Christian population within the Muslim-majority nation. Christians account for roughly two to three percent of the total population in Jordan.
Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya addressed the arrests in a social media statement on Monday. He said that authorities captured the killers and were investigating the factors driving young people toward extremism.
Al-Faraya added that the government would hold accountable everyone found to have been involved in the violence. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan declared a three-day period of national mourning starting Friday, directing government and public institutions to lower flags to half-mast.
King Abdullah II met with survivors of the attack and convened a National Security Council meeting on Saturday. He stated during the meeting that the security and safety of Jordanians represent a red line and vowed that the hand of justice would reach every terrorist.
On Friday, the monarch warned that the shooting would face the harshest retaliation possible.
On Sunday, eight of the nine victims were buried in a ceremony adjacent to the church. A large crowd gathered for the funeral, accompanied by numerous religious figures and a heavy security presence. Mourners carried the flag-draped coffins through the gathered masses during the proceedings.
