Suspect in Michigan synagogue attack dead after ramming car into temple, police say
No other major injuries were reported at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, a major Reform synagogue that also has a preschool
Law enforcement respond near Temple Israel following reports of an active shooter on March 12, 2026 in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images
By Hannah Feuer and Louis KeeneMarch 12, 2026
A man rammed his truck into a major Detroit-area synagogue Thursday afternoon, dying at the scene following an exchange of gunfire with on-site security staff.
The FBI and local law enforcement responded to reports of an attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, a prominent Reform synagogue that also hosts a preschool and K-12 religious school.
Sheriff Mike Bouchard of Oakland County said the man, later identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, drove through the building’s front doors and down a hallway, hitting the synagogue’s security director and knocking him unconscious. A second security guard then opened fire on the suspect. Bouchard said it was unclear whether the suspect, who was found dead in the vehicle, had been killed by the guard or died another way.
No one at the synagogue was hurt other than the security director, Bouchard said, who was brought to the hospital and is expected to recover.
“Obviously this is a hateful, terrible, terrible thing,” Bouchard said Thursday evening at a news conference. “But what drove this person into action that has to be determined by the investigation.”
Jennifer Runyan, FBI special agent in charge in the bureau’s Detroit Field Office, said she cannot provide any information about the suspect or his motive but noted that this was a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.”
“Security did an amazing job — an amazing job,” he added.
Steve Ingber, chief executive of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, joined law enforcement for the briefing. “I’d love to say I’m shocked or I’m surprised, but I’m not,” he remarked. “This is something that we train for.”
He continued: “It’s a tough time, but we will get through this. We’ll get through this together. We’ll get through this stronger, and we’ll continue to be loud and proud of being Jewish. This will not change us. This will not deter us.”
Details are still emerging about Ghazali after DHS confirmed his identity late Thursday night in a statement to CNN. According to the statement, Ghazali, 41 and originally from Lebanon, entered the United States in 2011 on an IR1 immigrant visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen. He gained citizenship in 2016.
Photo and video reported by local news showed smoke billowing from the synagogue building and a massive police presence in the area. Bouchard said that something had ignited in the vehicle, causing the smoke.
Eight first responders were receiving treatment at the hospital for smoke inhalation, according to Bouchard.
Rabbi Jen Lader of Temple Israel told Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s Asaf Elia-Shalev that the attacker got out of the car “with semiautomatic weapons and was very prepared with smoke bombs and fireworks and all sorts of stuff.”
It was unclear how many children were in the preschool at the time but they were all safe and accounted for, along with their teachers.
Bouchard said that families of the preschool children were being reunited with them.
The attack comes amid a wave of antisemitic attacks at synagogues in North America and heightened concerns of antisemitism following the U.S. and Israel’s joint attack on Iran.
Shots were fired at three congregations in Toronto, Canada over the past two weeks and an explosion in front of a synagogue in Belgium earlier this week being investigated as an act of terrorism. In January an arsonist set fire to Beth Israel Congregation in Mississippi.
Bouchard said religious institutions in the area had been on high alert in the last few weeks, adding that the chief of police had recently been in touch with the synagogue’s head of security, though law enforcement were not aware of any specific threats directed to Temple Israel.
The FBI said two months ago it had conducted an active shooter training with Temple Israel clergy and staff. The FBI and other security groups had also provided training to the Colleyville synagogue where hostages were taken in 2022, which Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker credited for saving the hostages’ lives.
Bouchard added that police are continuing to search the area for any potential explosive devices.
A lockdown has been lifted after police directed schools and houses of worship in the area to shelter in place.
Founded in 1941, Temple Israel advertises itself as the largest Reform synagogue in the nation with some 3,500 member families. Its outdoor summer services often draw upwards of 1,500 people, according to its website.
The synagogue calendar listed an exercise class for seniors, “Movement on the Mind,” scheduled for Thursday afternoon, along with a food pantry program and a few other events.
“This is heartbreaking. Michigan’s Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer posted to X. “Antisemitism and violence have no place in Michigan.”
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