Jordan tightens security after deadly church attack kills 8

Security was stepped up at malls, foreign embassies and other locations across Jordan, the US embassy in Amman said on Saturday, as authorities searched for gunmen who killed eight people and wounded 40 in a church attack.

The assailants fired for several minutes in broad daylight during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate on Friday, in what Jordanian authorities described as an act of extremist terrorism. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Such attacks are rare in Jordan, although authorities in the US-allied kingdom say they have repeatedly foiled plots by Islamist militants in recent years.

Bahjat al-Rushda, mayor of Shihan village in Karak, joined a long list of officials condemning what he called a “wicked” attack.
“God willing, this country will remain secure,” he said.