The three convicted men, comprised of two brothers and their brother-in-law, were captured following an armed standoff at an abandoned property days after the church massacre. While the specific motive for selecting the Karak governorate congregation remains unknown, the state convicted the trio on terrorism and conspiracy charges. The regional fallout from the attack escalated rapidly when Jordanian airstrikes into Syria killed five people, drawing protests from Syrian health authorities. Jordan intends to execute the three men by hanging, having officially resumed carrying out capital sentences in June.
Key points
The death sentences underscore Jordan's recent end to an unofficial pause on state execut…: The death sentences underscore Jordan's recent end to an unofficial pause on state executions that had stood since 2017.
King Abdullah II characterized the deadly assault as a failed effort to foster sectarian…: King Abdullah II characterized the deadly assault as a failed effort to foster sectarian division among the Jordanian public.
The domestic terrorist attack rapidly escalated into cross-border military friction betwe…: The domestic terrorist attack rapidly escalated into cross-border military friction between Jordanian forces and officials inside neighboring Syria.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
- Published
A Jordanian court has sentenced three men to death by hanging for carrying out a fatal mass shooting on a church last month.
The attack on 23 October killed nine people and injured 34 others who had been attending a Christian funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak governorate.
Jordan's Armed Forces said in a statement on Sunday that the men had been convicted of committing "terrorist acts", as well as possessing weapons, "promoting the ideas of a terrorist organisation" and "conspiracy to commit terrorist acts".
The three men - two Jordanian brothers and their brother-in-law - fled the scene of the attack and were arrested three days later. They have not been publicly identified.
Karak is home to a sizeable Christian community in the Muslim-majority kingdom.
CCTV footage from the day of the attack showed three men holding guns approaching and firing on St George's church in the village of Hmoud.
A second video showed dead and wounded people lying on the ground amid chaotic scenes at the church.
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