King orders iron fist response to deadly church attack in Jordan

Jordan's King Abdullah ordered security forces on ‌Saturday to respond with an "iron fist" as authorities searched for gunmen who opened fire and killed nine people during a church funeral service.

According to Reuters news agency, the assailants fired for several minutes in broad daylight at the church in Karak governorate on Friday, and also wounded 40 people in the rare attack on Jordan's Christian minority.

Security was stepped up at malls, foreign embassies and other locations across the country, ⁠the US embassy in Amman said.

A priest described how he and others ordered people to get to the ground at Saint George's Greek Orthodox church, about 120 km (75 miles) southwest of the capital, Amman.

"A sense of panic took hold among those present," Theodoros Soueiss told Reuters. "The gunfire was indiscriminate, and you never knew where a bullet might land."

King Abdullah condemned the "despicable terrorist act" as he chaired a National Security Council meeting and said there was no room for leniency when it comes to the lives of Jordanians, the royal court said.

Such attacks are highly unusual in Jordan, a relatively stable state in the Middle East, though ‌authorities there say they ⁠have foiled several plots in recent years.

Christians make up a minority of Jordan's population. The country is home to several biblical sites that attract Christian pilgrims from ⁠around the world.