Jordan Nabs Family Trio Behind Karak Church Massacre

Jordanian security forces have arrested two brothers and their brother-in-law after a fierce pre-dawn shootout, ending a three-day manhunt for the gunmen who slaughtered nine worshippers and wounded dozens at a Greek Orthodox church funeral in the southern Karak governorate.

The suspects were cornered early on Monday in an abandoned house in the village of Al-Jadeeda, roughly five kilometres from the attack site in Hamoud (also spelled Hammoud).

They refused to surrender, opened fire on the raiding teams and were wounded in the exchange before being overpowered and taken into custody. No security personnel were hurt.

Firearms and ammunition were recovered from the hideout. One suspect was reported in critical condition.

Public Security Director Major General Obaidallah (Abdullah) Al-Maaytah identified the three at a press conference as Hazza Zaidan Mohammed (also referred to as Hazzaa or Hazzah Zaidan Mohammed Thneibat), described as the planner and mastermind; his brother Meshal (Mishael/Mishal/Meshaal) Zaidan Mohammed Thneibat; and their relative by marriage Ahmad (Ahmed) Sami Hussein Thneibat. All three are Jordanians from the same extended family living near Hamoud. Officials said they acted alone as “takfiris” who embraced extremist ideology, with no evidence of ties to other cells or external groups.

Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya confirmed investigations continue but stressed there were “no indications of any links between them and other cells.”

The attack unfolded on Friday, 23 October, during a funeral at St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud, about 120 km southwest of Amman. Gunmen opened fire on mourners for several minutes, killing nine and wounding at least 34 (some reports put the injured at around 40). The death toll later stabilised at nine.

Survivors described chaotic scenes of people shielding children, cradling the wounded and fleeing amid the gunfire. The gunmen fled in a pick-up truck, firing as they left.

Authorities characterised the assault as the work of “extremist terrorists.” Al-Maaytah later stated it was not premeditated in the classic sense: the three men, following the funeral procession, decided on the spot to carry it out because of their shared radical beliefs. One of the brothers, Hazza, had a prior conviction for involvement in a plot linked to Daesh (ISIS) ideology and planning terrorist acts; he was sentenced in 2023 to seven years of temporary hard labour.

King Abdullah II ordered security forces to respond with an “iron fist” and later praised them for pursuing the suspects “to the very end.” The kingdom observed three days of national mourning. Large crowds attended funerals for the victims, among them several professionals including doctors, on Sunday.

Crown Prince Hussein offered condolences to the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III. Jordanian forces subsequently conducted airstrikes on militant positions in neighbouring Syria that officials linked to the perpetrators.

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Karak is home to a notable portion of Jordan’s Christian minority, which numbers roughly 2–3 per cent of the country’s 11.5 million people and forms an integral part of the national fabric.

Attacks on places of worship remain rare in the kingdom. Officials have emphasised that such extremism has no place in Jordan and that the country will remain an oasis of security and stability. The three suspects, now hospitalised under guard, face justice under Jordanian law, where murder carries the death penalty.