Jordan sentences three men to death by hanging after deadly church attack

A Jordanian court has sentenced three men to death by hanging for carrying out last month’s deadly gun attack on a church in the kingdom’s south.

Gunmen killed nine people and wounded 25 others when they stormed a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Hammoud village, in Jordan’s Karak governorate on October 23.

Authorities said three men, two Jordanian brothers and their relative by marriage, had fled after the attack and were arrested three days later.

In a statement on Sunday, the Jordanian military said the “State Security Court issued its ruling sentencing to death the three criminals who carried out the terrorist attack” at the church.

The court found them guilty of “committing terrorist attacks” resulting in death, as well as weapons offences, “conspiracy to commit terrorist acts” and “promoting the ideas of a terrorist organisation”.

“One of the perpetrators of the terrorist operation was also convicted of providing funds with the intention of using them to finance the commission of terrorist acts,” it added.

In late October, Jordanian security forces arrested the three men suspected of the attack that targeted the St George’s Greek Orthodox church in Karak, after clashing with them.

The governorate is home to many members of Jordan’s Christian minority, which makes up about 300,000 of the country’s 11.5 million people.

King Abdullah II said those behind the attack would face the “harshest penalties” as he offered his condolences to the victims’ families. He has ordered a review of the country’s security procedures for responding to attacks after the incident.