Death toll from Jordan church attack rises to nine

The death toll from a terrorist attack on a church in the village of Hammoud has risen to nine, according to Health Minister Ibrahim Al-Bdour. The minister stated that the number of fatalities increased after a victim in critical condition died, following the earlier confirmation of an eighth death. The attack targeted St George’s Orthodox church in southern Jordan.

The National UAE reports the victims were all men, many of whom belonged to the prominent Halasah family, and included three doctors. This incident is described by The National UAE as the largest attack against the country's Christians since the mid-1950s. While Egypt Independent reports at least 40 people were injured, authorities have not yet captured the gunmen. Al Jazeera notes it is too early to determine if the attackers have ties to known groups.

In response to the attack, King Abdullah II has directed authorities to respond decisively to extremists and safeguard national unity. According to Egypt Independent, the King stated that Jordan will "harshly" respond to those responsible. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan attributed the event to extremist terrorist ideology, according to the news agency Petra.

Brief written by urgent.news from Middle East Eye, The National UAE, Ajel English, Al Jazeera, Egypt Independent — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.