Jordan arrests three men suspected of deadly church attack after shootout
No group has yet said it was behind Friday's shooting attack in the village of Hmoud, which left nine Christians dead.
Jordan arrests three men suspected of deadly church attack after shootout
Eight of the nine men killed in the attack were buried beside the church on Sunday
Jordanian security forces have detained three armed men suspected of carrying out a shooting at a church last week that killed nine Christians and wounded 34 other people, officials said.
The Public Security Directorate (PSD) said the unnamed "terrorists" were found before dawn in an abandoned house in Karak governorate, south of the capital, Amman.
They declined to surrender and opened fire on security forces, who shot back and wounded all three, it added. No security personnel were injured in the exchange.
No group has yet said it was responsible for Friday's attack by gunmen on a funeral at St George's Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hmoud, in Karak governorate.
King Abdullah II praised security forces for pursuing the suspects "to the very end".
"We vowed the terrorists would not escape punishment, and no proponent of dark ideologies that divide Jordanians will be tolerated," he wrote on X.
"We pray that the martyrs' souls rest in peace and wish the injured a speedy recovery. May God protect and watch over Jordan and its people."
Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said authorities would hold to account anyone involved in the attack and were "examining every factor that leads youth toward extremism".
Karak is home to a sizeable Christian community in the Muslim-majority kingdom.
Verified CCTV footage from Friday showed three men carrying guns approaching and firing on St George's church.
A second video showed dead and wounded people lying on the ground amid chaotic scenes.
One man who was at the church told BBC Arabic that the attack lasted around 15 minutes.
"Some [people at the funeral] were taking cover, some were cradling the dead, others were holding their sons close, some were grabbing their children and fleeing, while others were holding onto their friends who were with them at the church," Khalid al-Mdanat said.
He added that the gunmen escaped in a pick-up truck, "firing as they went".
On Sunday, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, visited wounded survivors of the attack, which he condemned as a "vile, cowardly, and bloody act".
He also led the funeral at St George's of eight of the victims - Dr Maher Zureiqat, Ihab al-Halsa, Dr Fadi al-Halsa, Dr Khaled al-Halsa, Dr Asim al-Burqan, Alaa al-Masarwa, Marwan Khaitan and Mazen al-Qassous - which was attended by thousands of people.
The ninth victim, Dr Mohammed al-Qassous, was buried near Amman on Monday.