Jordan: 3 arrested over deadly church attack
Three men have been arrested in Jordan in connection with an attack on a Greek Orthodox church last week. The arrests took place following a dawn shootout with security forces during which the suspects were wounded.
On Monday, Jordanian security forces apprehended three men in connection with a deadly attack on a Greek Orthodox church funeral on Friday. The incident resulted in nine fatalities and approximately 40 injuries. The three suspects were discovered hiding in an abandoned house in the Karak governorate, around 120 kilometers southwest of Amman.
All three were injured during a dawn shootout with the security forces, but no Jordanian personnel were harmed in the operation. Firearm and ammunition were recovered by the authorities.
Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya confirmed the arrests during a phone interview with state broadcaster Al-Mamlaka. He stated that the three individuals were identified early on and that all available resources were utilized to apprehend them. The minister added that King Abdullah II had ordered authorities to respond with an iron fist against those attempting to undermine the unity of the Jordanian people.
Relatives of the victims expressed relief at the arrests, stating that it somewhat eased their grief over the tragedy.
No claim of responsibility has been made for the Friday attack, and the Public Security Directorate has not publicly named the suspects or linked them to any Islamist militant groups. It is noteworthy that attacks on Christian minorities are uncommon in Jordan, a stable Middle Eastern nation and a close ally of the United States. The country has diplomatic and military relations with neighboring Israel.
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