A driver rammed his vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, on Thursday afternoon, leaving the suspect dead, authorities confirmed.
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard told reporters that the driver drove through the synagogue’s doors and into a hallway before the vehicle caught fire. Security guards on site fired at the suspect as he advanced, confronting him inside the building. One guard, struck by the vehicle, was treated in hospital and is expected to recover.
The FBI said the incident is being investigated as a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.”
The Department of Homeland Security identified the suspect as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old naturalised US citizen born in Lebanon who arrived in the US in 2011.
The fire engulfed the synagogue, sending 30 police officers to hospital for smoke inhalation, Bouchard said. Investigators are working to determine the cause of the blaze.
Temple Israel, one of the largest Reform Jewish synagogues in the US, also houses a preschool, from which dozens of children were safely evacuated during the incident.
FBI Special Agent Jennifer Runyan described the attack as “deeply disturbing and tragic.” Bouchard called it a “hateful, terrible act”, though he did not comment on a specific motive.
“We know there’s evil in the world,” Bouchard said at a news conference. “When it shows up, that’s where training and preparation come in.”
Earlier, he praised the response of synagogue security and first responders, saying: “Everything that was supposed to happen, happened. Security did their job, and then the responders did theirs.”
Police have not confirmed how the suspect in Thursday’s attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, died. Sheriff Mike Bouchard said it is difficult to determine the cause of death because the suspect’s vehicle caught fire.
“We can’t say what killed him at this point,” Bouchard said. “But security did engage the suspect with gunfire.”
Officers were working to remove the vehicle “out of an abundance of caution” in case it contained explosives. State and local law enforcement, along with the FBI, responded to the emergency.
President Donald Trump addressed the attack during a White House event, expressing solidarity with the Jewish community. “It’s a terrible thing. We want to send our love to the Michigan Jewish community and all of the people in Detroit,” he said.
Lisa Stern, a Temple Israel member for more than 20 years, rushed to the synagogue after hearing news of the attack. Concerned for her friends inside—including two rabbis and a social worker—she avoided texting them to prevent giving away their locations. The ramming was initially reported as an “active shooter incident.”
Waiting across the street, Stern saw anxious parents and grandparents arriving to check on their children. “At first, when they didn’t know, the parents were like falling to the ground,” she recalled. “Thankfully, it was only minutes until they said the kids were safe.”
Temple Israel confirmed on Facebook that students were evacuated to a nearby country club. All 140 students, staff, teachers, and security personnel were accounted for and unharmed.
Stern said the suspect appeared to have prior knowledge of the synagogue, which is not visible from the road, indicating a calculated attack. “They obviously knew where they were going because they knew where to do maximum damage,” she said.
The synagogue has maintained a security presence for years and had increased measures since the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, amid a rise in antisemitic incidents across the US.
Authorities noted that family members of the suspect had been killed in recent fighting abroad. Mo Baydoun, mayor of nearby Dearborn, stated: “Earlier this month, he lost several members of his own family, including his niece and nephew, in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon.”
In the two weeks leading up to the attack, law enforcement had maintained regular contact with local Jewish congregations. On Thursday, Jewish communities statewide increased security, and the Michigan State Police patrolled synagogues and other sites. Major cities across the US also heightened police presence at Jewish centers.
Founded in 1941, Temple Israel serves around 3,500 families, or roughly 12,000 congregants. West Bloomfield is one of several Detroit suburbs with a significant Jewish population—approximately 71,000, according to the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, representing the majority of Michigan’s Jewish community.
Stern described the attack as a wake-up call for the local community, which has been on heightened alert due to rising antisemitism nationwide. “This was a matter of when, not if,” she said.