At least seven killed after gunmen open fire at church in Jordan

Survivors say two masked gunmen began shooting as dozens attended a funeral procession.At least six people have been killed, and 28 others wounded, in a shooting in Jordan’s Karak governorate that saw gunmen open fire during a funeral at a church.A spokesperson for Jordan’s Public Security Directorate said at least six people are confirmed dead after Friday’s attack on the Hamoud church. Jordanian sources previously told Al Jazeera seven people had been killed.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Gunmen kill 3 people at San Diego Islamic centre in suspected hate crimelist 2 of 4Who is behind settler violence in the occupied West Bank?list 3 of 4US archbishop says Catholics in army should not participate in firing squadlist 4 of 4Palestine weekly: Israeli settlers attack journalist and diplomatsend of listSurvivors said they heard an explosion when the funeral procession started, after which masked gunmen broke into the church and began shooting.State-owned television station Al-Mamlaka reported that security forces were deployed to the church and were pursuing two suspects, who reportedly got out of a vehicle before opening fire.Funeral attendee Khaled Burqan told Al-Mamlaka that dozens of people were at the procession. One of the assailants carried a pistol, he said, and the other carried a rifle.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack; Jordanian authorities have not said who was responsible.Such attacks are extremely rare in Jordan.Christians, numbering around 300,000 people, make up a minority of the Jordan’s population of roughly 11.5 million, though the country is home to several biblical sites that attract Christians from around the world.Previous attacksThis is not the first time that Karak has come under attack.In 2016, a deadly ISIL (ISIS) assault saw a group of gunmen hole up in a Crusader-era castle and kill 10 people, including security officers and a Canadian tourist. Jordanian security forces ultimately shot and killed the attackers.