Jordanian authorities on Monday identified three suspects arrested at dawn over last week's deadly church attack as members of the same family.
"The perpetrators of the attack on the church were two brothers and the third was their relative by marriage," Director of Public Security Major General Abdullah Al-Maaytah said at a press conference. He named the three as Hazza Zaidan Mohammed, Meshal Zaidan Mohammed and Ahmad Sami Hussein.
The attack on St George's Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hamoud, in Karak governorate, killed nine people and wounded 34 others during a funeral service.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya and Government Communications Minister Mohammad Al-Momani, the security chief described the suspects as extremists who had adopted an extremist ideology.
He said the three men lived near Hamoud village and had acted without prior planning.
According to the security chief, the suspects were following the funeral procession when they decided to carry out the attack, a decision he attributed to their extremist beliefs.
He said the three men had developed the idea together while following the procession, rather than preparing the assault in advance.
Following the shooting, the suspects fled the scene in a single vehicle, which was later recovered by investigators.
Security forces also seized firearms and a large quantity of ammunition following their arrest.
Suspects arrested after shootout
Jordanian authorities announced early on Monday that they had arrested all three suspects following an armed confrontation at an abandoned house in the village of Al-Jadida, approximately five kilometres from Hamoud.
The Public Security Director said security teams had spent three days searching designated areas before narrowing their operation to a number of abandoned buildings.
Shortly after midnight on Sunday night, officers divided part of Al-Jadida into sectors and identified several abandoned houses for inspection.
The operation led security forces to the building where the suspects were hiding.
According to the Public Security Directorate, the men refused to surrender and opened fire on officers, prompting an exchange of gunfire.
All three suspects were wounded before being taken into custody and transferred to hospital. No members of the security forces were injured during the operation.
The security chief said investigators had pursued two lines of inquiry immediately after the attack.
The first focused on criminal investigations, intelligence gathering and collecting evidence from the scene.
The second involved emergency response measures, surveillance operations and tracking the suspects' movements and escape routes.
No evidence of links to wider groups
Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya said investigators had found no indications that the suspects were connected to other extremist cells or organisations.
He stressed, however, that the investigation remained ongoing and that authorities would pursue anyone found to have helped plan, encourage or facilitate the attack.
Al-Faraya described the killings as the product of an extremist ideology that was alien to Jordanian values and traditions.
He said tackling terrorism required more than arresting those responsible, calling for efforts to address the roots of extremism, hate speech and incitement.
The minister also referred to King Abdullah II's visit to survivors in hospital, during which the monarch pledged a firm response against those responsible for the killings.
Al-Faraya said the successful arrest operation demonstrated the authorities' commitment to protecting citizens and ensuring accountability.
Jordan warns against sectarian divisions
Government Communications Minister Mohammad Al-Momani urged Jordanians not to allow the attack to fuel religious hatred or divisions within society.
He described the killings as a turning point in the country's efforts to confront extremist and takfiri ideology, announcing that the government would continue working to combat radicalisation across different sectors.
Al-Momani said royal directives had called for a review of policies aimed at countering extremist thought and addressing its underlying causes through a systematic national strategy.
He stressed that confronting extremism was a shared responsibility involving government institutions, religious authorities, schools, the media and wider society.
Protecting the public, he argued, required challenging not only acts of violence but also the ideas and rhetoric used to justify them.
The minister also warned against misinformation and rumours, saying misleading information could spread fear, undermine public confidence and encourage incitement during times of crisis.
He urged the public to avoid discussions that could deepen religious or social divisions, stressing that the actions of extremists should not be used to blame entire communities.
"We must not allow terrorism to achieve through words what it failed to achieve through crime," Al-Momani said.
He added that Jordanian citizenship was not determined by religious or social identity and that no citizen should have to prove their belonging to the country.
The government would not allow extremist ideology to redefine relations between Jordanians or undermine the shared national identity that united them under the rule of law, he said.
Al-Momani also praised the solidarity shown by Jordanians towards the families of those killed, describing it as a demonstration of the country's rejection of hatred and division.
"This solidarity embodies our belief that the suffering of any Jordanian is the suffering of us all, and that our national unity is firmly rooted and cannot be undermined by terrorism," he said.
The attack on St George's Greek Orthodox Church in Hamoud took place during a funeral service, leaving nine people dead and 34 others injured.
Authorities have pledged to continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the killings and bring anyone involved to justice.