Jordan sentences three men to death over deadly church attack

Jordan’s State Security Court sentenced three men to death on Sunday for carrying out an attack on a church in the southern governorate of Karak last month that killed nine people, the state news agency Petra reported.

The court convicted the men of offences including carrying out terrorist acts resulting in death, possessing weapons and ammunition for terrorist purposes and promoting the ideology of a terrorist group. The ruling is subject to appeal and automatic review by the Court of Cassation, Petra said.

Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud on 23 October, in a rare attack on Jordan’s Christian minority. Authorities said 34 people were also wounded.

Security forces arrested the three men on October 26 after a shootout at an abandoned house in Karak. All three were wounded, while no security personnel were injured, according to the Public Security Directorate.

Jordan, a US partner in the fight against extremism, later that day launched airstrikeson southern Syria against groups it linked to the church attack. Syrian authorities said seven people, including three children and a woman, were killed.

Jordan later acknowledged that its airstrikes had killed civilians in Syria and the two countries agreed to form a joint security committee to review the incident and its consequences.