An attacker is dead after plowing his vehicle into a synagogue Thursday outside Detroit and then exchanging gunfire with security guards in what authorities described as a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.”

Federal officials said the attack was carried out by 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali. Officials were still searching for a motive.

The attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, ended with the guards “neutralizing” the attacker, according to Chief Dale Young of the West Bloomfield Township Police Department. About 140 students and staff members at the temple’s preschool were safely evacuated, officials said, but one guard was injured.

Across the country, police departments said they were stepping up patrols at houses of worship.

Here’s what we know.

What Happened?

The West Bloomfield Township police received a call reporting an active shooter at the temple around 12:20 p.m., Young said.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the driver rammed a truck through the doors of the building and drove down a hall, and a fire started in the building. Sheriff Michael Bouchard described watching a video of the attack that showed the attacker “traveling with purpose” through the hallway.

The temple’s security guards “neutralized” the attacker, Young said at the news conference.

Federal and state authorities swept the vehicle for explosives, but none were immediately discovered. Late Thursday, officials said the suspect was Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Lebanon. Authorities are still searching for a motive.

Where Did the Attack Happen?

The attack targeted Temple Israel, in West Bloomfield Township, where about one-quarter of the 65,000 residents are Jewish. It’s about 25 miles from downtown Detroit. The temple, founded in 1941, is one of the country’s largest Reform houses of worship and the largest in metropolitan Detroit. The temple has more than 12,000 members, according to its website.

Temple Israel includes a nursery school and a religious school for children in prekindergarten to 12th grade that meets on weekends and afternoons, according to its website. It also houses a museum with artifacts of Jewish history.

Was Anyone Injured?

One security guard was hit by the vehicle and was taken to the hospital but was expected to be OK, officials said Thursday.

Eight emergency responders were being treated at two hospitals in the Henry Ford Health system for unspecified symptoms stemming from the attack, according to a press officer. Several police officers and firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation, the sheriff said.

The 140 students and their teachers at the synagogue’s preschool were unhurt, Temple Israel officials said in a statement, praising the teachers and calling the security guards who confronted the “terrorist gunman” heroes.

What Do We Know About the Suspect?

Federal officials said Ghazali entered the United States in 2011 on a visa given to foreign-born spouses of U.S. citizens, the Department of Homeland Security said. He became a citizen in 2016.

In Dearborn Heights, Michigan, a Detroit suburb with a large Lebanese community, residents said after the attack that Ghazali had worked at a popular restaurant known for its Mediterranean food.

Antisemitic Attacks Have Been Climbing

Attacks on synagogues around the United States are on the rise, with the attack on Temple Israel unfolding as tensions build during Israel and America’s new war in Iran.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, instances of antisemitism have increased substantially in the United States in recent years. The organization recorded more than 9,300 cases of antisemitism across the country in 2024, the latest year such data was available. That was the highest number since records of those incidents began in 1979.

Many synagogues around the country increased precautions after the United States and Israel struck Iran in late February. Police departments across the country, including those in Los Angeles, New York, Washington and elsewhere, said they were beefing up their patrols.

Jewish communities in Europe and beyond have also faced violence, including most recently attacks in Toronto; Liège, Belgium; and Manchester, England. In December, a gathering marking Hanukkah in Australia was attacked by two men who were armed with guns and explosives and had homemade Islamic State flags in their car. Fifteen people were killed, and dozens more were injured.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Alexandra E. Petri/Sarah Rice
c. 2026 The New York Times Company