Jordan sentences three men to death over deadly church attack

Jordan's State Security Court sentenced three men to death on Sunday for carrying out an attack on a church in the ⁠southern governorate of ⁠Karak last month that killed nine people, the state news agency Petra reported.

The court convicted the men of offences ⁠including carrying out terrorist acts resulting in death, possessing weapons and ammunition for terrorist purposes and promoting the ideology of a terrorist group. The ruling is subject to appeal and automatic review by the Court of Cassation, Petra said.

Gunmen opened fire during a funeral at a Greek ⁠Orthodox church ⁠in the village of Hamoud on October 23, in a rare attack on Jordan's Christian minority. Authorities said 34 people were also wounded.

Security forces arrested the three men on October 26 after a shootout at an abandoned house in Karak. ⁠All three were wounded, while no security personnel were injured, according to the Public Security Directorate.

Jordan, a US partner in the fight against extremism, later that day launched airstrikeson southern Syria against groups it linked to the ⁠church ‌attack. ‌Syrian authorities said seven people, including ⁠three children and a ‌woman, were killed.

Jordan later acknowledged that its airstrikes had killed civilians ⁠in Syria and the two ⁠countries agreed to form a joint security ⁠committee to review the incident and its consequences.