The attack took place in Hamoud, about 120 km (75 miles) southwest of the capital, Amman. Witnesses said the shooting continued for several minutes. Reuters video footage showed a building marked by bullet impacts from the exchange of fire in the village of al-Judayyda, in Karak governorate.
Jordan's Public Security Directorate said the three suspects were found hiding in an abandoned house in Karak. According to a statement published on state media, they refused to surrender and attacked security forces, who returned fire and arrested all three after wounding them.
No security personnel were injured during the operation. Authorities also recovered a number of firearms and ammunition from the suspects.
Jordanian authorities have described the violence as an act carried out by "extremist terrorists". However, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. In its statement, the Public Security Directorate said, "Terrorism has no place among us," adding that the suspects had met their "just fate".
King Abdullah, a US partner in the fight against Islamist militant groups, has ordered security forces to respond with an "iron fist" following the rare attack on the country's Christian minority.
Such violence is highly unusual in Jordan, a relatively stable state in the Middle East. Nevertheless, authorities have said they have foiled several Islamist militant plots over the years.
The Public Security Directorate has not disclosed the identities of the three suspects or publicly identified any possible affiliations with Islamist militant groups.
Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya said authorities were reviewing the circumstances that had led young people towards extremism. He also said that anyone who participated in the attack would be held accountable.
The arrests mark a significant development in the investigation into the deadly church shooting, as Jordanian authorities pursue those suspected of involvement in an attack that killed nine people, wounded 40 others and heightened concerns among the country's Christian community.
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