Armed Security Stops Attack at Michigan Synagogue; Suspect Killed

An armed attacker rammed a vehicle into a synagogue and school in Michigan on Thursday before being shot and killed by the temple’s security staff, according to authorities.

The attack happened at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, located about 25 miles northwest of Detroit. Law enforcement quickly responded to the scene, evacuating the building and securing the surrounding area.

Officials confirmed that none of the people inside the synagogue were seriously injured. Temple representatives said roughly 140 children were present at the facility’s on-site childcare center when the incident occurred.

“Everyone is safe,” the synagogue said in a statement posted to social media several hours after the attack.

Video from the scene showed black smoke rising from the building after the suspect’s vehicle caught fire inside the structure. Less than two hours after the incident began, reports confirmed the suspect had died. Authorities later stated that the individual was shot by the synagogue’s security staff.

Multiple news outlets have identified the suspect as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a Lebanese-born U.S. citizen. Reports indicate that four members of Ghazali’s family were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon last week.
Officials have not yet confirmed a motive.

Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, said federal authorities are leading the investigation and described the event as a targeted act of violence.

“This is a deeply disturbing and tragic incident, and our deepest sympathies are with the victims, their families, and the entire Jewish community,” Runyan said during a press conference Thursday evening. “I can confirm that the FBI is leading this investigation as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also addressed the attack, calling it an act of antisemitism.

“Yesterday’s attack was antisemitism. It was hate, plain and simple,” Whitmer said during a Friday news conference. “We will fight this ancient and rampant evil. We will stand together as we do it, and we will call it out.”

Whitmer added that threats against Jewish communities have increased in recent years and stressed the importance of speaking out against hate.
President Donald Trump also commented on the incident Thursday, expressing support for the Jewish community in Michigan.

“I want to send our love to the Michigan Jewish community and all of the people in the Detroit area following the attack on the Jewish synagogue early today,” Trump said. “I’ve been fully briefed, and it’s a terrible thing. We’re going to get right down to the bottom of it.”

The incident comes amid a broader rise in antisemitic incidents in the United States and around the world. Jewish institutions, including synagogues and schools, have strengthened security measures in recent months as threats have increased.