A 41-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, born in Lebanon, drove his vehicle into one of the nation’s largest Reform synagogues on Thursday, authorities said.
Ayman Mohamad Ghazali was fatally shot by security officers after crashing through a hallway at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, near Detroit, Michigan, with his vehicle catching fire, officials added.
Ghazali, who arrived in the U.S. in 2011 on an immediate relative visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen, obtained American citizenship in 2016, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Jennifer Runyan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, described the incident as a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community” and confirmed that the FBI is leading the investigation. Investigators have yet to determine a motive.
“What drove this person into action has to be determined by the investigation,” said Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.
No staff, teachers, or the 140 children at Temple Israel’s early childhood center were injured, Bouchard said.
Shortly after the attack, smoke filled the synagogue. One security officer was knocked unconscious but sustained no life-threatening injuries, while 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation.
West Bloomfield Police Chief Dale Young credited Temple security officers for “engag[ing] the individual and neutraliz[ing] the threat.” The suspect was later found dead inside his vehicle.
Cassi Cohen, director of strategic development at Temple Israel, recalled the moment of impact.
“When I heard the crash, I knew it was bad,” she said. She grabbed a few staff members, ran into her office, and locked the door. The car rammed near a classroom where children as young as 4 were present, along with more than 30 staff members.
“Thankfully, we have had many active shooter drills and our staff is prepared for these situations,” Cohen added.
Rabbi Arianna Gordon thanked the security team, law enforcement, and early childhood teachers for safely evacuating the children and reuniting them with their parents, calling them the “true rock stars of the day.”
Parents rushed to retrieve their children after the building was cleared, with some reunited at a nearby Jewish Community Center.
Allison Jacobs, whose 18-month-old daughter attends the synagogue’s day care, said she was informed by a teacher that her child was safe before she even knew what had happened.
“There are no words. I was in complete and utter shock,” Jacobs told the AP. “I was hoping that it was a false report.” She added, “You never think that this is actually going to happen to you. But I know that it’s — it’s just terrible. This morning I was mourning the loss of the school that got hit in Iran.”
Security concerns for synagogues have grown since the U.S. and Israel launched missile strikes on Iran on February 28.
The FBI warned of possible Iranian drone attacks on targets in California. In recent weeks, two men inspired by the Islamic State brought explosives to a far-right protest outside the New York mayoral mansion.
In Manchester, England, an assailant drove a car into an Orthodox synagogue on Yom Kippur, stabbing two people to death before being shot by officers.
President Donald Trump said he had been fully briefed on the attack, calling it a “terrible thing.” Steven Ingber, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, lamented the need to prepare for such incidents. “I’d love to say that I’m shocked, that I’m surprised, but I’m not,” he said.
Oakland County, Michigan’s second-largest, has roughly 1.3 million residents and is home to the majority of Detroit-area Jewish residents.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said, “This is heartbreaking. Michigan’s Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace.”
The attack is the second at a house of worship in Michigan in the past year. Last September, a former Marine fatally shot four people at a church north of Detroit and set it ablaze. The FBI cited “anti-religious beliefs” as his motivation.
Temple Israel, with 12,000 members, emphasizes community-building through Reform Judaism and global Jewish support. Following the attack, the Jewish Federation of Detroit briefly advised all local Jewish organizations to lockdown.
Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, a survivor of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, said the attack highlights the cost of hatred. “We lose our humanity when we seek violent means as a solution,” Myers said. “No one should dwell in fear because of who they are.”
