Jordanian Court Sentences Three Men to Death over Deadly Church Shooting
The attack took place on October 23, when gunmen stormed a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Hammoud village, killing nine people and injuring 25 others.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A Jordanian court on Sunday sentenced three men to death by hanging for carrying out a deadly shooting at a church in the southern governorate of Karak, as Christian leaders cancelled Christmas celebrations in solidarity with the victims' families.
The attack took place on October 23, when gunmen stormed a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Hammoud village, killing nine people and injuring 25 others.
Authorities said the three attackers, two Jordanian brothers and their relative by marriage, fled the scene but were arrested three days later. They were described as followers of a hardline Islamist ideology.
In a statement on Sunday, the Jordanian military said the State Security Court had issued death sentences against the three men for carrying out the "terrorist attack" on the church.
The court found them guilty of terrorist attacks resulting in death, weapons-related offences, conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, and promoting the ideology of a terrorist organisation.
The defendants attended the closed-door hearing through a video link from detention, while tight security was maintained around the courthouse.
The shooting shocked Jordan, a Muslim-majority country where Christians account for approximately three percent of the population.
In response, Jordan's Council of Church Leaders announced the cancellation of all Christmas celebrations this year as the Christian community mourns the victims.
The council urged churches to keep their Christmas trees as "a symbol of hope, unity and peace" and to light candles in memory of those killed.
Amer Halaseh, a lawyer representing the victims' families, said the verdict "reflects the scale of the disaster and the terrorist crime that took place".
The court also sentenced two other men to six years in prison for selling weapons to the attackers, according to Halaseh.
Following the shooting, Jordan launched 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 dispute between the two countries.
Karak previously experienced a series of attacks in 2016, most of which were attributed to the Islamic State (ISIS). The deadliest targeted a security centre and police patrols, killing 10 people.