Death Count In Jordan Church Firing Rises To 9

Two people wounded in Friday's attack on a church in southern Jordan have died of their injuries, bringing the number of people killed to nine, health minister Ibrahim al-Bdour told AFP on Saturday.

"The number of victims who died in the terrorist attack on the church in the village of Al-Hamoud in Karak has risen to nine following the death on Saturday of a second casualty who had been in a critical condition," the minister said.

Another 25 people remain hospitalised, he added.

Gunmen entered the compound of a Greek Orthodox church in the village of Hammoud in Karak governorate during a funeral procession on Friday and opened fire, Jordanian authorities said.

King Abdullah II, who met with victims after the attack, said during a National Security Council meeting on Saturday that "the security and safety of Jordanians are a red line", adding that "the hand of justice will reach every terrorist".

He said on Friday that the shooting would be met with the "harshest retaliation" possible.

"A terrorist group has carried out a horrific act, one that is condemned in every respect, and the security services are working round the clock to track them down," interior minister Mazen al-Faraya told a press conference.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan ordered a three-day period of national mourning from Friday, with flags to be flown at half-mast over government and public institutions.

Karak is home to a significant Christian community in the Muslim-majority kingdom, where Christians make up between two and three percent of the population.

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