Gunmen kill at least 7 at a Greek Orthodox church funeral in Jordan, and Fox News reports the toll has risen to 9
Fox News, PBS NewsHour, NPR and the Guardian reported that gunmen opened fire at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, Jordan, during a funeral on Friday, Oct. 23, killing at least 7 people. PBS NewsHour first reported 34 wounded, while NPR, the Guardian and the Associated Press put the number of wounded at 40, and the Guardian attributed the figures to authorities. PBS NewsHour reported that images broadcast on Jordanian state television show two gunmen who appear to be holding pistols approaching the church and firing, and a third man who appears to hold a semiautomatic rifle then opens fire. NPR described footage showing three gunmen. Reuters reported that a survivor said an assailant pointed a handgun at him. Fox News reported that King Abdullah II called the shooting an act of terrorism and vowed the harshest retaliation. On Saturday, Fox News reported that the death toll had risen to 9 and that officials blamed extremist Islamist ideology.
Casualty counts rose and shifted over a day, as they often do after an attack, which is why the outlets give different figures for the wounded. The statements by the king and by officials, as Fox News reports them, are the basis for calling the attack terrorism and for naming an ideology; none of the reports reviewed describes an arrest or a claim of responsibility.
If you have family or travel plans in Jordan, the State Department’s travel notices and your airline or hotel are the places to check; the reports reviewed describe no change to U.S. guidance. If you want to follow the story, the Jordanian government’s statements are the primary source the outlets are citing.
The official view, as Fox News reports it, is that the shooting was a terrorist act driven by extremist Islamist ideology and that the king has promised the harshest retaliation. On this view, the attack is being treated as a targeted strike on a Christian congregation at a funeral.
The more cautious view comes from the gaps in the reporting: the outlets differ on how many were wounded and on how many gunmen took part, with PBS NewsHour describing three armed men on state-television images and Reuters quoting one survivor about a single assailant. On this view, the facts about the attackers are still being established.
Confirmed across outlets: gunmen attacked a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral in Karak on Oct. 23, and at least 7 people died, with Fox News reporting 9 on Saturday. Not confirmed: who carried out the attack, how many attackers there were, or the final number wounded. Watch for official statements from Jordan on suspects and the final casualty count.
DailyDrop U.S. No. 20 · October 24, 2026 · Evening