Jordan: Three suspects arrested after the murderous attack on a church in Hamoud

Three men were arrested on Monday, 26 October, 2026 in Jordan, after a Friday attack on people gathered for funerals in a Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud, Karak Governorate. According to security officials, the suspects are two brothers and their brother-in-law. All three were injured during their arrest. Deutsche Welle, the South China Morning Post and Reuters, whose dispatch is published by Daily Maverick, report the same operation, mainly based on Jordanian official statements. [S2] [S4] [S5]

An arrest after an exchange of fire

The Public Security Directorate claims to have located the suspects in an abandoned house in Karak Governorate. Al Jazeera places their refuge in the village of Al-Jadeeda, near Hamoud. According to the official account, the men refused to surrender and opened fire on the security forces, who responded before disarming and arresting them. This is the process presented by the authorities, not an independent reconstruction of the facts. [S3] [S7]

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya described violent resistance and serious injuries among the three suspects. Al Jazeera reports that a man was in critical condition and, citing a government source, that the confrontation would have lasted about three hours. No security personnel were injured, according to the authorities, who also announced the seizure of firearms and ammunition. [S2] [S3] [S5]

Nine deaths according to Petra, diverging scores

The attack targeted the church of Saint George in Hamoud, southwest of Amman, on Friday 23 October during funerals. Witnesses called by Reuters describe several minutes of fire. The Jordanian official agency Petra reported nine deaths and 34 injuries, a report also reported by the South China Morning Post. [S3] [S4] [S5] [S7]

However, figures do not match in all publications: Deutsche Welle and the Reuters dispatch published by Daily Maverick mention nine deaths and about forty injuries, while Al Jazeera's explanatory article indicates eight deaths and 34 injuries. These stories concern the same attack. The available elements do not explain the differences precisely; The balance sheets must therefore remain allocated. [S2] [S3] [S5]

Eight victims were buried on Sunday in Karak during a ceremony under strong security presence, according to Al Jazeera. After the arrests, a close friend of the victims, himself a survivor, expressed some relief on the public channel Al-Mamlaka, while stressing the extent of mourning. His testimony is reported by Deutsche Welle. [S2] [S3]

Suspects identified, investigation still open

While several articles indicate that the names of the suspects have not been made public, an AFP dispatch published by Arab News reports their identification in press conference: Hazza Zaidan Mohammed, Meshal Zaidan Mohammed and Ahmad Sami Hussein. The head of public safety confirms that they are two brothers and one relative by marriage. This announcement complements stories that do not give their identity. [S2] [S5] [S8]

No claims are reported in the sources consulted. According to the Minister of the Interior, at this stage there is no evidence linking suspects to other cells. However, it states that the investigation continues: the absence of an identified link does not therefore constitute a definitive conclusion on any support. The classification of terrorism is that of the authorities; the articles do not detail the acts attributed individually to each of the three men. [S4] [S5]

Securing the faithful, establishing responsibilities

King Abdullah II asked for a firm response to the attack. The Minister of the Interior announced that anyone involved should be held accountable and that the authorities would examine the circumstances leading young people to extremism. Al Jazeera also reported a promise of concrete measures to protect civilians, without specifying the modalities. [S2] [S3] [S5]

The issue directly concerns the possibility of practising one's religion and attending a safe funeral. But the information published describes arrests and official accusations, not a judgement establishing individual responsibilities. They do not present the precise role of each suspect or new restrictions sufficiently detailed to assess their justification or proportionality. Protection of persons and the establishment of facts remain two distinct questions to follow. [S3] [S4] [S5]