At least eight people have been killed and another 40 have been wounded by a shooting attack on a Greek Orthodox church in the Karak region in Jordan.

The attack occurred on Friday, in the middle of the day, during a mortar ceremony, when armed individuals opened fire for several minutes to those present, Reuters writes, broadcast Dukaagjini.

Jordanian authorities have named the attack an act of extremist terrorism. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, while security forces are looking for authors.

On Saturday, security measures were added to shopping centres, foreign embassies and other locations across the Jordan, the US Embassy in Amman announced.

Authorities said it is still early to determine whether the attackers are linked to known groups inside or outside Jordan.

Such attacks are rare in this country, although authorities have declared that in recent years some plans by Islamist militants have prevented.

Bahjat al-Rushda, head of the village of Shihan in the Karak region, condemned the attack, calling it evil.

With God’s help, this place will remain safe, he said.

Source Layer: Dukeagini