Jordanians rallied around the families of the victims of the Hamoud Church attack in Karak, southern Jordan, as they received condolences following Friday's terrorist assault, which left eight people dead and dozens wounded, according to the latest toll announced Saturday afternoon.
In recent hours, Hamoud village has become a gathering place for mourners arriving to show solidarity with the families of those killed and injured.
King Abdullah II stressed Saturday the need to "keep citizens informed of developments in the investigation as they emerge and firmly confront rumors and misinformation that could exploit this crime to spread fear and discord."
The king also emphasized the importance of "conducting a comprehensive security assessment of the response to the terrorist attack and developing practical measures to strengthen security preparedness and prevent similar attempts."
He underscored the need to uphold the rule of law and the authority of the state.
King Abdullah chaired a meeting of the National Security Council on Saturday, during which he received a security briefing on the terrorist attack targeting the church in Hamoud village in Karak Governorate.
He instructed the government and relevant institutions to review policies aimed at combating extremist ideology and intensify efforts to eliminate its sources through a systematic plan coordinated with religious authorities.
During the meeting, attended by Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, the king stressed that there could be no complacency when Jordanian lives were at stake, reiterating his condemnation of the heinous terrorist attack.
He emphasized that the security and safety of Jordanians were a red line, affirming that the hand of justice would reach every terrorist and that such cowardly acts had never intimidated Jordan and its people, nor would they undermine national unity.
The king instructed the relevant security agencies to respond decisively and deal with an iron fist with the "Kharijites" and anyone seeking to undermine Jordanian unity.
He also stressed the need to pursue and hold accountable, to the fullest extent of the law, anyone who supported or justified the attack.
Karak and Attempts to Sow Discord
For decades, the southern governorate of Karak has served as a model of coexistence between Christian and Muslim clans.
Jordanians recount numerous stories of longstanding social ties between neighbors and the shared customs and traditions of the governorate's residents.
Notably, Jordan has sought to respond carefully to a social media campaign aimed at sowing discord in the country.
Organizations monitoring online comments and their sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that social media users generally appeared more inclined to accept the official account, despite the limited information available because of the ongoing investigation into the church attack.
Prioritizing Security Over Politics
Immediately after the attack, a government delegation traveled to Karak Governorate, held a series of meetings and delivered several press briefings.
However, the response was not limited to government officials. King Abdullah II personally traveled to Karak wearing military fatigues and the uniform of the Special Operations Forces.
In 1998, Abdullah, then a prince and a brigadier general in the Jordanian army, personally led a military operation with a Special Operations battalion to arrest a terrorist cell in the Sahab area east of Amman.
Analysts say the king's appearance in military uniform carries significant messages and implications, particularly under the current security circumstances, and offers an indication of the country's approach in the coming period.
Officials who have attended meetings with King Abdullah say he personally develops plans for military operations and frequently supervises them directly, not merely in his capacity as supreme commander of the armed forces, but also as a seasoned military officer with extensive experience in training and operational environments.
The Videos Told the Story
Videos documenting the details of the terrorist attack spread rapidly after the assault on the church, leaving little need for further explanation of what had happened.
Footage showed three terrorists getting out of a vehicle carrying automatic weapons and opening fire on civilians in cold blood. Some of their faces were clearly visible on camera.
Upon arriving at a gathering point for the families of those killed and wounded, accompanied by Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, Interior Minister Mazin Al Farrayeh was questioned about why one of the three terrorists had allegedly been released on bail just days before the attack.
The minister denied the allegation after leaving the condolence gathering, stating in a press release that "the perpetrator had not been released on bail."
Informed sources confirmed that the investigation into the Hamoud Church attack was progressing and that the perpetrators had been identified.
They said the findings would be announced once the investigation was complete and all aspects of the terrorist operation, considered a dangerous precedent in the country, had been thoroughly examined.
Jordan's security is, in fact, being targeted by several parties.
Analysts in Amman say hostility toward takfiri groups makes their members susceptible to being used as instruments to strike at the country's security and unity through attacks such as the assault on mourners at Hamoud Church in Karak.
According to these analysts, the Karak attack was intended to provoke sectarian discord in the country.
Father Nabil Haddad, one of Jordan's most prominent Christian religious figures, described the intended targets of such discord in press statements as "two closely united communities that cannot be separated."
Jordanians are now awaiting answers about the affiliations of the terrorist group responsible for the Hamoud Church attack and whether its members maintained contacts with organizations abroad or were motivated by extremist beliefs they had adopted.
Pending an official announcement identifying the group's affiliations, questions are also being raised about whether it has links to other groups in different parts of the country, amid fears of similar attacks, including those carried out by so-called lone wolves.
Terrorism and the Targeting of Karak
Karak Governorate experienced painful events in both 2015 and 2016.
After the aircraft flown by Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh, who came from a village in the southern part of the governorate, went down and he was captured by ISIS in Syria, the terrorist organization burned him to death in January 2015.
The killing reflected the ideology of "management of savagery" embraced by takfiri organizations and provoked widespread outrage in Jordan.
In December 2016, Karak Governorate experienced another terrorist attack centered on its historic castle, where ISIS militants barricaded themselves after concealing weapons inside the fortress.
During that incident, hostages were held inside the castle, and the operation lasted more than 15 hours.
The attack left 14 people, including security personnel, civilians and a foreign tourist, dead, while many others in the vicinity of the castle were wounded.
All four members of the ISIS cell were also killed.
