Jordan arrests three suspects for church attack in dawn raid: what you need to know | Explanatory news

Jordanian security forces have arrested and identified three suspects linked to an attack on a Greek Orthodox church on Friday.

At a press conference on Monday, the country’s public security chief said the perpetrators represented only themselves and were from the same family.

Nine people were killed and at least 34 others injured in the rare attack in the village of Hamoud, in Karak governorate, about 120 kilometers southwest of the capital, Amman. Authorities said the attack was carried out by “extremist terrorists.”

Here’s what we know about the suspects.

What do we know about the operation to arrest the suspects?

Jordanian Interior Minister Mazin al-Farrayeh said Monday that the three suspects were Jordanians and “were identified from the start of the terrorist incident, and the security services used all means at their disposal to apprehend them.”

They were hiding in an abandoned house in al-Jadeeda village in Karak, the Public Security Directorate said, adding that they refused to surrender and attacked security forces, who responded and arrested the three suspects.

They “put up fierce resistance to security forces, but were eventually overpowered and taken into custody after being seriously injured,” al-Farrayeh said.

He added that many sites were searched in a bid to apprehend the suspects, and the scope of the searches was widened until the suspects were surrounded in the final operation.

Al-Farrayeh said investigations into the attack were ongoing and added that “all those who took part in this terrorist act will be brought to justice.” He also said Jordan “insists that an attack like this will not happen again.”

The Public Security Directorate said the suspects were injured, one seriously, during the dawn raid in Karak on Monday.

“Terrorism has no place among us,” the leadership said, adding that the suspects had met their “just fate.”

Security forces recovered firearms and ammunition from the suspects’ hideout, the official Petra news agency reported.

A Jordanian government source told Al Jazeera that the shootout to arrest the suspects lasted about three hours in the village of al-Jadeeda, a six-minute drive from Hamoud, where the church attack took place.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has ordered security forces to respond with an “iron fist” to the unprecedented attack on the Christian minority community.

Have the suspects been named?

Yes. Jordan’s public security director, General Obaidullah al-Maaytah, told a news conference on Monday that the three suspects belong to the same family and include two brothers.

“These are the two brothers Hazza, the planner and mastermind, and Mishal Zeidan Muhammad, and their relative Ahmed Sami Hussein,” he said.

Interior Minister al-Farrayeh said there was no indication that the arrested suspects had links to other cells.

What happened during the attack on the church?

The St. George Church, which was attacked, is located in the village of Hamoud in Karak governorate, known for its medieval castle.

On Friday, gunmen stormed the church compound during a funeral procession, killing nine people and injuring at least 34 others.

Security camera footage of the attack circulated online. A video broadcast by Al-Mamlaka television shows three people shooting outside the church and running towards its entrance.

Other footage showed the attackers opening fire on a group of men trying to flee outside the building.

What was Jordan’s response to the attack?

“We have apprehended the killers, we are examining all the circumstances that push young people towards extremism, and we will hold everyone involved accountable,” al-Farrayeh said in an X post on Monday.

He called on citizens to remain calm and said the tragedy would prompt practical measures to protect civilians, urging Jordanians to reject violence.

King Abdullah, who met with the victims, told a National Security Council meeting on Saturday: “The security and safety of Jordanians is a red line… the hand of justice will reach every terrorist.”

A day earlier, he said the shooting would result in the “severest retaliation” possible.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan ordered three days of national mourning, starting last Friday, with flags at half-mast over government and public institutions.

Who were the victims?

Eight of those killed were buried in Karak on Sunday in a funeral that attracted a huge crowd.

Their coffins were draped in Jordanian flags as they were carried among mourners gathered amid a large security presence.

Karak is home to a large minority Christian community in the predominantly Muslim kingdom, where Christians make up between 2 and 3 percent of the population.

Social media showed images of the victims, including Mohammad al-Qasous, a Christian.