Symbolic imageJordan church attack toll rises to nine as gunmen remain at large
The death toll from Friday's shooting at a funeral in Karak rose to nine on Saturday. None of the three attackers has been caught.
State news agency Petra, citing Public Security, reported that one more of the wounded died on Saturday, bringing the toll from the attack on St George's Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud on Friday, 23 October, to nine, with about 40 wounded. Authorities call it an act of extremist terrorism, and no group has claimed it. They say it is too early to tell whether the attackers had links to known groups. King Abdullah visited Karak, ordered a firm response and promised punishment "with an iron fist", and three days of national mourning were declared. The US embassy in Amman said security was tightened at malls, foreign embassies and other sites.
A community shaken
According to The National, the victims were all men, mostly from the Halasah family. A family member, a doctor, told the outlet the attack appeared designed to make Christians leave. Archbishop Christophoros of Kyriakoupolis said it would not undermine national unity.
King orders policy review
The National reports that the king called the attackers "outlaws of Islam" and told the government to review its policies for countering extremist ideology and to intensify efforts to eradicate its root causes.
Other opinions
Daily Sabah and TASS still put the toll at eight, while Al Jazeera, The National and Politika report nine.