Greece condemns fatal attack on Orthodox church in Jordan

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis condemned an attack on a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, Jordan, after Jordanian security authorities reported 7 people killed and 34 wounded during a funeral on Friday. Athens called for action against terrorism as Jordanian police searched for those responsible, according to France 24 and Greek broadcaster ERT.

Major General Abdallah al-Maaytah, head of Jordan's Public Security Directorate, gave the seven-death toll at a news conference in Karak. An earlier Kathimerini report had put deaths at six; that lower figure preceded the later official police statement and should not be added to it.

Gunmen fired at people attending the funeral at a church in Karak governorate, according to local security officials. Footage shown by Jordanian state television appeared to depict several armed men firing from a street. The videos do not independently identify the attackers or establish their motives.

Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh described the attackers as extremists but said it was too early to determine whether they were linked to an organisation inside Jordan or abroad. No group had immediately claimed responsibility in the available reporting, and investigators had not publicly identified the gunmen.

Mitsotakis denounced the violence at the Orthodox church, a place of worship connected to the Greek Orthodox tradition, and voiced support for the victims, Greek news outlets reported. Greek political and church figures also reacted. No Greek nationals were identified among the casualties in the information reviewed.

Most of the wounded were receiving treatment, the Jordanian security directorate said. Officials did not give a final medical breakdown for every casualty or a timetable for completing the search for those responsible.

The attack took place outside Europe, but the condemnation by Greece's government and representatives of the Orthodox church has made it a security and diplomatic concern for Greek institutions. It does not establish any related threat to churches or communities in Greece.