Jordan Charges Three Men with Terrorism over Deadly Church Attack
On October 23, gunmen stormed a funeral at Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Hammoud village, in Karak governorate, killing nine people and injuring 25 others.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Jordanian prosecutors have charged three men with terrorism-related offences over a deadly attack on a church in the country's south last month, in which nine people were killed and 25 others wounded.
On October 23, gunmen stormed a funeral at Saint George Greek Orthodox Church in Hammoud village, in Karak governorate, killing nine people and injuring 25 others.
The suspects, two Jordanian brothers and their relative by marriage, fled following the attack but were arrested three days later, according to authorities.
In a statement on Tuesday, Jordan's State Security Prosecutor said the investigation into the attack had been completed and that the suspects faced seven charges.
The charges include committing terrorist acts resulting in death, carrying out terrorist acts using weapons and ammunition, possessing weapons for terrorist purposes, conspiring to commit terrorist acts, and promoting the ideology of a terrorist group.
Under Jordan's anti-terrorism law, a conviction on the most serious charge, carrying out terrorist acts resulting in death, carries the death penalty.
Authorities have described the suspects as followers of a hardline Islamist ideology.
The attack sent shockwaves through Jordan, where Christians account for around three percent of the predominantly Muslim population.
In response, Jordan launched deadly airstrikes against what it described as "terrorist organisations" in neighbouring Syria, claiming to have killed more than 20 jihadists. The strikes, however, triggered a brief diplomatic crisis between the two countries.