Who was behind the deadly church shooting in Jordan?

On Saturday, Jordan's Christian community was deeply shaken by a terrorist attack at the St George's Orthodox church in the village of Hamoud, killing eight members. This marks the largest attack against Jordan's Christians since the mid-1950s. Authorities have since increased the death toll to eight and confirmed that three assailants remain at large.

The victims, all men, were mostly members of the prominent Halasah family, who have ancestral land in Hamoud. Three of the deceased were doctors. A prominent Halasah clan member stated that the attack was likely intended to compel Christians to leave the country. Jordan, a US ally with a defense pact, is seen as a stable Middle Eastern bastion but faces domestic issues, including a stagnant economy and a 16% official unemployment rate.

The attack occurred as authorities promoted a site near the Dead Sea, aiming to boost Christianity-based tourism. Jordan's Christian population is 250,000 out of 11 million. The attack hit Jordan's Christian minority hard, with Archbishop Christophoros of Jerusalem describing it as an "ugly terrorist act" that won't undermine national unity.

No group claimed responsibility, and authorities have not named a culprit. The country's complex relationship with Islamist groups surfaced, with the Islamic Action Front, a Brotherhood-linked group, recently rebranding itself as the Umma Party. Social media criticism followed the attack, with some Jordanians condemning views that suggest Jordan is doing Christians a favor by allowing them to stay.

The Umma Party condemned the Hamoud attack as a dangerous crime targeting national cohesion. The Hashemite monarchy, ruling since 1921, faces criticism over accusations of complicity in weapons manufacturing aimed at destabilizing the nation.