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A group of gunmen stormed a Christian church in Jordan during a funeral on Friday, killing nine people and injuring more than two dozen, according to authorities.

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The shooting took place at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak, about 55 miles south of the capital, Amman.

Jordanian Health Minister Ibrahim al-Budour said Saturday that one critically injured patient remained hospitalized at Prince Ali Military Hospital in unstable condition.

Government spokesperson Mohammad Momani said Saturday that the attackers subscribed to «extremist takfiri ideology,» which brands people who reject a strict interpretation of Islam as apostates or nonbelievers. Terrorist groups such as ISIS have invoked takfiri beliefs to justify killing Muslims, Christians and Jews.

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Journalists and other people stand outside a Greek Orthodox church cordoned off with crime scene tape hours after gunmen opened fire during a funeral in Hamoud village, in Jordan’s Karak governorate on Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo)

BISHOP ROBERT BARRON: THE WAR ON CHRISTIANS IS REAL AND THE WORLD CAN NO LONGER STAY SILENT

Karak is home to a sizable Christian minority, and Momani sought to emphasize that Christians are «part of Jordan’s national fabric.»

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It remains unclear whether the gunmen were affiliated with any terror group, and Jordanian authorities have not announced any arrests in connection with the attack.

Footage shown on Jordanian state television showed two gunmen armed with what appeared to be pistols approaching the church and opening fire, The Associated Press reported.

A third man carrying what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle joined them moments later, before all three rushed toward the church.

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People and security forces gather outside a Greek Orthodox Church in the village of Hammoud in Jordan’s Karak governorate following a shooting on Oct. 23, 2026. Gunmen killed at least seven people, authorities said. (AFP via Getty Images)

TWO SUSPECTED GUNMEN DEAD, TWO IDF SOLDIERS KILLED IN WEST BANK SHOOTING

Photos and videos from witnesses show broken glass and pools of blood inside the church. After the location was secured by police, two bodies covered with blankets were seen outside the church.

Dorgham Halasa told the AP that intense gunfire erupted in the church some 15 minutes after the funeral service began. People began running, he said.

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Halasa said he didn’t see the gunmen, but said others he spoke with reported seeing at least four of them. Jordanian authorities had not confirmed the number of attackers as of Saturday.

On Friday, King Abdullah II said Jordan will «confront the terrorist act that targeted Karak with the harshest penalties.»

The interior of a Greek Orthodox church is seen hours after gunmen opened fire on Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo)

«Whoever imagines that the bullets of treachery can divide the ranks of Jordanians will fail in his endeavor before our steadfastness and unity,» he added. «Our deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs, and our wishes for recovery to the wounded.»

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Jordan announced three days of national mourning following the attack, according to the state-run Petra News Agency.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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James Cirrone is a writer on the Breaking/Trending News team at Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to james.cirrone@fox.com.

world, middle east, terrorism, orthodox, mass murder, islam, christianity religion

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed is set to rally with former President Barack Obama on Saturday as Republicans raise questions about his support among Black voters, a crucial Democratic constituency in the battleground state.

Obama formally endorsed the Michigan Democrat earlier this month, filming a campaign ad that ran on Oct. 12 imploring his supporters «to support Abdul El-Sayed for the United States Senate.» His upcoming rally with El-Sayed has become a major political event as the progressive Senate candidate continues his effort to build bridges with the Democratic Party’s establishment.

Obama’s support has also renewed scrutiny of El-Sayed’s past criticism of the former president, including a sharply worded 2012 essay accusing him of failing to deliver on the promises of his presidency. Conservatives have suggested that the El-Sayed campaign is leaning on Obama to build support among the African American community, whose turnout could be decisive on Election Day.

ROGERS ARGUES EL-SAYED IS VULNERABLE WITH 2 TRADITIONALLY DEMOCRATIC BLOCS AS OBAMA HEADS TO MICHIGAN

Claims that El-Sayed is only receiving lukewarm support from the Black community began during his primary race against Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens. El-Sayed performed strongly among Arab American voters during the Democratic primary, but he narrowly defeated Stevens after polls showed her attracting stronger support among Black Democratic voters. El-Sayed’s uneven support among key Democratic constituencies has raised questions about his ability to unite the party’s coalition heading into November.

Black voters are crucial to the Democratic coalition in Michigan. Low turnout or defections to the GOP in Michigan among African Americans could seriously endanger the Democratic Party’s path to control of the Senate.

OBAMA’S STAR POWER GETS A REALITY CHECK FROM BLACK VOTERS IN CRUCIAL SENATE RACE: ‘IT’S A TURNOFF’

A poll conducted by Digital in late September found that just 77% of Black voters were supportive of El-Sayed, a figure well below where Democrats typically perform with the demographic.

It is unclear what impact, if any, Obama wading into Michigan’s Senate election will have.

Digital spoke with more than a dozen Black voters in Detroit about Obama’s endorsement, finding mixed reactions that included skepticism among undecided voters and enthusiasm from others who already planned to support El-Sayed. While the undecided voters largely agreed that Obama was still a leader within the Democratic Party, they generally did not put much weight on the former president’s endorsement of El-Sayed.

«Honestly, it’s a turn-off just because I’ve seen too many candidates use him just to manipulate the Democratic vote,» Mercedes, one undecided Black voter, told Digital about Obama’s endorsement.

MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE ABDUL EL-SAYED SAYS LEADERS MUST ADDRESS ‘UNPAID DEBTS’ TO BLACK COMMUNITIES

«What he’s been able to do is from an image standpoint, as far as ‘hope,’ he drove the point there,» another undecided African American voter told Digital. «But as far as really giving back to the community, minority owned businesses, and everyone across the board, I don’t really think he really got there for me … he really hasn’t swayed me one way or another.»

Rita, an undecided Black voter who said she had recently been homeless, said that Obama’s endorsement would not move the needle for her as she prefers to do her own research on candidates.

Juanita, another Black voter who wasn’t sure how she would vote in November, told Digital that, «I don’t want to be pushed to vote for him because somebody else is backing him.»

Even some African Americans who voted early for El-Sayed said Obama’s backing didn’t mean much of anything to them.

SOCIALIST POLITICIANS ARE ‘MORE RACIST THAN THE KKK,’ SAYS BLACK DEM OFFICIAL URGING VOTERS TO DITCH EL-SAYED

«I think that a lot of people put more stock into who the person is than what he does … his yay or nay doesn’t sway me either way,» one such voter told Digital.

Undecided voters, however, had mixed feelings about El-Sayed’s changing position on Obama.

«Yeah, I don’t understand how you can endorse somebody that was kind of the opposition when you were in office,» Juanita told Digital. «I mean, that doesn’t make sense.»

«I think I see it as a flip flop, but I also see it as an opportunity to pretty much highlight those things and how he’s actually changed and why their objectives may align now,» another voter said. «You know, people’s objectives change, their perspectives change.»

‘DESTROYING THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE’: EL-SAYED’S POLITICAL ORBIT COMPLICATES EFFORT TO MODERATE HIS IMAGE

Others, however, pointed out that pivots like El-Sayed’s are nothing new in politics, pointing to the fact that Vice President JD Vance was once a staunch critic of President Donald Trump.

The controversy surrounding El-Sayed’s purported flip-flop on Obama can be traced back to a 2012 Huffington Post essay where he accused Obama of failing to live up to the progressive rhetoric he campaigned on.

«I realize that I have little hope because there has been less change,» El-Sayed wrote. «But I have to say now what I’ve been holding in throughout his campaign and what I think all of us have to admit: Obama was not the right choice — he just wasn’t the wrong one.»

He went on to criticize the then-president for perpetuating war, violating civil liberties and carrying out more deportations than any previous president.

The Michigan Democrat has since walked back some of those criticisms, noting that it is possible to disagree with someone while still admiring them and praising how Obama operated under the circumstances he inherited.

DEM INSURGENT TURNS ON THE CHARM WITH PARTY ESTABLISHMENT AS SCHUMER LEAVES BITTER FEUD HANGING

Some, however, don’t buy that explanation.

Conservative commentator Jason Rantz said on a CNN panel that El-Sayed was setting aside his criticisms of Obama because he was in a desperate electoral position and needed to «try to bring in black voters.»

Others, however, don’t think El-Sayed has a problem with Black voters at all.

Kandia Milton, a government affairs professional with deep ties to Detroit’s African American community, told Digital that conservative claims that El-Sayed lacks appeal to Black voters are misguided.

«The great thing about Abdul is that he’s not new to Detroiters. … And so Detroiters, once they understand his background, understand what he stands for and all the things that he’s done in the past, you see greater enthusiasm for his campaign and his candidacy for Senate,» he said. «He has been very active in getting out into the community. In fact, tomorrow we have a public meeting with Abdul at our church. Where he will be speaking to the community around, you know, the issues that he stands on and stands firm on.»

El-Sayed’s rally with Obama is slated to begin at 5:00 p.m. and will feature Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson and other Michigan Democrats. Attendees will be encouraged to cast early ballots in support of the Democratic ticket.

The El-Sayed campaign and representatives for the former president did not respond to requests for comment when reached by Digital on Wednesday.

politics, abdul el sayed, barack obama, campaigning, detroit, midterm elections

A deleted 2013 social media post in which Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., appeared to refer to her father by a different name has resurfaced as federal investigators examine questions surrounding her identity and immigration records.

«Happy Father’s Day to my aabo Nur Said, I am forever grateful to Allah for giving me the best father …,» Omar wrote in the June 2013 post, which was deleted in 2019.

Several records, including a memorial post by the Congressional Black Caucus marking his death in 2020, refer to Omar’s father as «Nur Omar Mohamed.» But the now-deleted X post has Omar calling him «Nur Said,» a name that also appears similar to the name of her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi.

REP ILHAN OMAR’S IMMIGRATION HISTORY FACES NEW SCRUTINY AS FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS SUBPOENA RELATIVES

The congresswoman deleted the social media post the morning of Sept. 19, 2019.

An archived version of the post, first reported on by the Daily Caller in 2019, resurfaced after federal agents searched Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence on Oct. 12 as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into possible false statements on immigration and naturalization documents. Omar and her office have repeatedly denied allegations that her former husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, is her brother.

She has also denied wrongdoing amid the federal probe, which she has called a political attack.

Somali names generally consist of a person’s given name, their father’s given name and their paternal grandfather’s given name. The similarity between names alone does not establish a familial relationship.

A statement allegedly attributed to Omar’s spokesperson and recirculated online said «Nur Said» was her father’s childhood nickname and that he maintained a public page using the name. The statement also said the tweet was deleted because Omar and her family had received threats.

FEDERAL AGENTS SEIZE PHONE OF REP ILHAN OMAR IN RAID TIED TO IMMIGRATION FRAUD PROBE

Omar’s office did not respond Friday to request for comment on the now-deleted social media post.

Omar’s father is referred to as «Nur Said» in some reports. For example, a New York Post story on his alleged military experience quoted Oxford University historian Mohamed Haji Ingiriis as calling Omar’s father «Nur Said.»

has not independently verified that Omar’s father’s name is Nur Said Elmi Mohamed, his alleged name, not Nur Omar Mohamed.

In a statement to Digital on Thursday, a spokesperson for the congresswoman said Omar has «repeatedly and unequivocally denied» the «baseless, disgusting conspiracy theory» that she married her brother.

The spokesperson pointed to Omar’s interview Wednesday on MS NOW, in which she was asked whether her one-time husband may have been a «distant relative.»

«Not to my knowledge,» Omar replied.

Recent court documents related to the search warrant for Omar’s Washington, D.C. residence, first obtained by Digital, connected to the federal investigation identify Omar as «Ilhan Nur Said Elmi, a.k.a. Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.» The filing does not explain why the name appears in the document or establish that Omar used a false identity.

ILHAN OMAR CALLS TRUMP ‘CREEP’ AS PRESIDENT REVIVES ‘FAKE NAME,’ MARRIAGE ALLEGATIONS

Omar told Digital on Friday that her «real name» is «Ilhan Abdullahi Omar» and not «Ilhan Nur Said Elmi.»

«Ilhan Abdullahi Omar, you know it,» Omar told Digital when asked about her name. «It’s Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.»

Omar’s marriage to Elmi ended in divorce in 2017. She later legally married Ahmed Hirsi in 2018.

Two people familiar with the investigation told Digital that «Ilhan Nur Said Elmi» may be Omar’s legal name. Omar’s office has disputed that characterization.

A former Minnesota federal immigration judge told Digital that if investigators prove Omar knowingly used a false name on federal forms, the conduct could be brought into question under the federal false-statements statute, 18 U.S.C. § 1001. Whether the statute applies would depend on the specific documents, the materiality of any alleged misstatement and the evidence of intent.

The Justice Department did not respond to request for comment.

Hannah Brennan contributed to this report.

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