The UN Secretary-General has condemned a terrorist attack on a funeral service in a church in Hmoud, Karak Province, Jordan, on the morning of Friday 23 October. The FCDO added a note to its Jordan travel advice the same day.
What the UN said
The Secretary-General's statement, issued on 23 October, condemns the terrorist attack that morning on a funeral service in a church in Hmoud, Karak Province. It says the United Nations stands with Jordan, its Government and its people, and that those responsible must be identified and brought to justice. It also says: "Places of worship must be places of peace and must be safe for all."
At the UN noon briefing the same day, the Spokesman for the Secretary-General said the attack reportedly left seven people dead and many more injured. He called an attack on a place of worship during a funeral procession especially heinous and said those responsible should be found and held to account.
What the FCDO said
The FCDO's Jordan warnings page, updated on 23 October, says the FCDO is aware of reports of a shooting at a church in Karak on Friday 23 October. It tells anyone in the immediate area to follow the advice of the local authorities and monitor local media. The change note for the update reads as new information added following reports of a shooting in Karak.
The FCDO names Karak and the UN names Hmoud in Karak Province. Both give 23 October and a church, and this post treats them as one incident.
The page lists one area under the areas where it advises against travel: all travel within 3km of the border with Syria. It does not add Karak to that list.
What is not in the record
Neither the UN nor the FCDO names who carried out the attack or gives a motive. The FCDO gives no casualty figure. The UN's figure of seven dead is the Spokesman's account of what was reportedly the toll, with many more injured and no number. Neither source says whether the attack has ended or what the Jordanian authorities have said.
The FCDO's terrorism section for Jordan, read on 24 October, names hotels, shopping malls, restaurants, tourist sites and border crossings as places visited by foreign nationals where attacks are likely to be attempted. It does not name places of worship.
What it means for operators
These are Ops Con planning points, not UN or FCDO guidance.
Treat the Karak area as live until the authorities say otherwise. The FCDO's instruction to those in the immediate area is to follow local authorities and monitor local media.
Do not infer who or why. No source has said, and the first account of an attack often changes.
Funerals and services are announced, predictable and crowded. If a principal's programme in Jordan includes one, or passes near a place of worship, review the plan and the route.
Check the FCDO page on the day of tasking. It was updated on the day of the attack and can change again.
