al-Jadeeda, Jordan, October 27, 2026
Photo: Al Jazeera
Three men are in custody after a dawn shootout in the village of al-Jadeeda, days after gunmen killed nine people at a Greek Orthodox church funeral in Jordan, authorities announced Monday.
The village is a six-minute drive from Hamoud, where the church attack took place. According to the Public Security Directorate, the suspects were hiding in an abandoned house, refused to surrender, and attacked security forces, who returned fire. A Jordanian government source told Al Jazeera the gun battle lasted about three hours.
Interior Minister Mazin al-Farrayeh said the men put up fierce resistance but were subdued and taken into custody with severe injuries. The directorate said one of them was critically hurt. The state news agency Petra reported that security forces recovered firearms and ammunition at the hideout.
At a news conference, Public Security Director Maj. Gen. Obaidullah al-Maaytah named the suspects as two brothers, Hazza and Mishal Zeidan Muhammad, and their relative Ahmed Sami Hussein. He said the three come from one family and represent only themselves. Al-Farrayeh said all three are Jordanians and that there’s no indication they have ties to other cells.
The attack happened Friday at the Church of St. George in the village of Hamoud, in the Karak Governorate about 75 miles southwest of the capital, Amman. Armed men stormed the church compound during a funeral procession, killing nine people and wounding at least 34 others. Authorities described the attackers as “extremist terrorists.” Footage from security cameras showed three people shooting outside the church and running toward its entrance. Other footage showed the attackers firing on a group of men who were trying to flee outside the building.
King Abdullah II ordered security forces to respond with an “iron fist.” He met with the victims and said at a National Security Council meeting on Saturday that “the security and safety of Jordanians are a red line … the hand of justice will reach every terrorist.” Prime Minister Jafar Hassan ordered three days of national mourning beginning Friday, with flags flown at half-mast over government and public institutions.
Eight of the victims were buried in Karak on Sunday in a funeral that drew a huge crowd. Their coffins were draped in Jordanian flags and carried through the mourners amid a large security presence.
Karak is home to a significant Christian minority in the Muslim-majority kingdom, where Christians make up between 2 and 3 percent of the population.
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