Jordan Sentences Three Men to Death for the Karak Church Funeral Attack That Killed Nine

Jordan's State Security Court on Sunday sentenced three men to death for the Oct. 23 attack on a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in the southern village of Hammoud. The attack killed nine people and wounded dozens more, Reuters reported ^[1]. Al Jazeera reported that the men were sentenced to death by hanging ^[3].

The court convicted the three of terrorism crimes, including carrying out terrorist acts that caused deaths and possessing weapons for terrorist purposes, according to Reuters, which cited Jordan's state news agency, Petra ^[1]. The Jerusalem Post reported that the convictions also included promoting a terror group's ideology ^[4]. Reuters said one of the men was also convicted of financing terrorism ^[1].

The verdict is not yet final. The ruling can be appealed and must also be reviewed by the Court of Cassation, the kingdom's highest court, Reuters reported ^[1].

A funeral turned into a massacre

The gunmen opened fire on mourners at the church in Karak governorate. Reuters called it a rare attack on Jordan's Christian minority ^[1]. The BBC put the toll at nine dead and 34 injured ^[2].

Security forces arrested the three men on Oct. 26 after a shootout at an abandoned house in Karak, according to Reuters ^[1]. Earlier this month prosecutors said their investigation into the attack on St. George Church was finished and sent the case to the State Security Court ^[5]. Officials described the suspects as relatives who followed a hard-line Islamist ideology, Khaleej Times reported ^[5]. Under Jordan's anti-terrorism law, the most serious charge, terrorist acts resulting in death, carries the death penalty ^[5].

Jordan also struck back beyond its borders. Its air force hit targets in southern Syria that it linked to the attack, and the government later acknowledged that the strikes had killed civilians. Syrian authorities said seven people died, Reuters reported ^[1].

In the days after the shooting, the Jordan Council of Churches called the attack a threat to social peace and rejected attempts to divide Jordanians by religion, Catholic World Report reported ^[6].

Why it matters

The Christian communities east of the Jordan River trace their roots to the earliest centuries of the faith. The mourners in Hammoud gathered to bury one of their own and were met with gunfire. For believers in America who have watched churches come under attack in many parts of the world, Sunday's verdict, about three weeks after the killings, shows how seriously Jordan's government is treating the massacre of Christian worshipers.

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Justice still has steps to run. The case now moves to the Court of Cassation, which must review the sentences before they can be carried out ^[1]. The defense can also appeal the ruling ^[1]. The families in Hammoud, and Christians across the region, will be watching the appeal closely. Liberty Bell Report will follow the case as the review goes forward.