Michigan Synagogue Shooting: Suspect Dead After Vehicle Rams Temple Israel in West Bloomfield
A 41-year-old man is dead after ramming a pickup truck into the nation's largest Reform synagogue Thursday afternoon and opening fire on security personnel in what the FBI is now investigating as a targeted antisemitic attack. All 140 students and staff inside the building survived unharmed.
Michigan Synagogue Attack: What Happened at Temple Israel
Michigan police responded to an active shooting at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township at approximately 12:30 p.m. ET Thursday. The suspect drove a pickup truck directly through the synagogue's front entrance, breaching the building by crashing through the doors and driving down an interior hallway before being confronted by armed security guards.
Security officers engaged the suspect with gunfire. The vehicle then caught fire from something inside, and the suspect's body was found badly burned inside the truck, making it difficult for investigators to immediately determine the cause of death.
The synagogue's director of security was struck by the vehicle, knocked unconscious, and transported to a hospital. He is expected to survive. Approximately 30 law enforcement first responders were also treated at area hospitals for smoke inhalation following the blaze.
Suspect Identified as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali
The Department of Homeland Security identified the suspect as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen born in Lebanon. Ghazali entered the United States in 2011 on an immigrant visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen and received his citizenship in February 2016.
Ghazali was a restaurant worker in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. His ex-wife filed for divorce in August 2024, and a divorce was granted in March 2025. The couple had at least one child, according to court records.
The mayor of Mashgharah, Lebanon, told reporters that Ghazali's two brothers were killed in an Israeli military strike on March 5. Ghazali's parents, sister-in-law, and two young children — ages 7 and 4 — were also injured in that same strike and were being treated in a hospital at the time of Thursday's attack.
Emergency responders also found what appeared to be explosives in the back of the suspect's vehicle. The source of the vehicle ignition and whether the explosives detonated remain under active investigation.
FBI Leading Investigation as Targeted Act of Violence Against Jewish Community
The FBI confirmed it is leading the investigation as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community. Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan of the FBI Detroit Field Office called the incident "deeply disturbing and tragic" during a news conference Thursday evening.
FBI Director Kash Patel noted that FBI personnel had conducted an active shooter prevention and preparedness training at Temple Israel in January 2026, just weeks before the attack. "Today's attack at Temple Israel Synagogue in Michigan could have ended far worse — but thanks to preparation and the courage of those on the ground, lives were saved," Patel said.
Temple Israel: America's Largest Reform Synagogue
Temple Israel serves approximately 3,500 member families and 12,000 members total, making it the nation's largest Reform synagogue. The building also houses an early childhood learning center where children were present at the time of the attack.
Rabbi Jennifer Kaluzny said of the security personnel, "We are forever grateful to all of them and everyone who showed up to help us get through this." She added that all training paid off, describing the teachers as "absolutely heroes."
National Response and Rising Antisemitism Concerns
President Trump said he had been "fully briefed" on the attack. "I want to send our love to the Michigan Jewish community and all of the people in the Detroit area," he said at a White House event Thursday afternoon.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the attack "heartbreaking," stating that antisemitism and violence have no place in Michigan. Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow warned, "The rise in antisemitism is not abstract. It's not left or right. It is here."
The Anti-Defamation League recorded the highest number of antisemitic incidents in the United States in 2024 since such record-keeping began in 1979. Thursday's attack comes as the U.S. remains on heightened domestic security alert following the start of military operations against Iran on February 28.
