Security Personnel Stop Vehicle Attack at Michigan Synagogue as Threats to Jewish Institutions Rise
Security personnel at a Michigan synagogue shot and killed a man after he drove a vehicle that contained chemical agents into the building on Thursday.
The vehicle assault caused a large fire at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, but only the driver was killed during the incident. One security officer who was struck by the vehicle was treated for injuries, and more than 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation from the blaze.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified the suspected driver as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon. The FBI is investigating the incident as a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community,” said Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.
Investigators are likely looking into Ghazali’s family connections. NBC News reported that Ghazali lost several family members in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon last week.
“Numerous federal and state law enforcement official said that while they believe Ghazali is the alleged attacker, they are awaiting forensics to confirm the identity because the driver’s body is so badly burned,” according to NBC News.
Runyan and Michael Bouchard, sheriff of Oakland County, Michigan, said they are still investigating the motive behind the attack.
“I also know you have a lot of questions. A lot of those questions can’t be answered at this point because it’s super preliminary in the investigation,” Bouchard said in a press briefing covered by the BBC. “Obviously, it’s a hateful, terrible thing, right? But what drove this person into action—that has to be determined by the investigation.”
Temple Israel had multiple security measures in place at the time of Thursday’s attack. The suspect, who was armed with a rifle, fireworks, and unidentified chemical materials, drove around the synagogue’s perimeter bollards at about noon local time, into the synagogue’s front doors, and then down a hall before security personnel opened fire, stopping the vehicle.
Staff and about 140 students at the synagogue’s early childhood center took shelter during the firefight before evacuating to a nearby country club for reunification. The synagogue said in a post on its Facebook page that all staff, teachers, students, and security personnel were accounted for and safe.
“We are deeply and humbly grateful to our teachers, staff, security, law enforcement, and Shenandoah Country Club that welcomed us, fed us, and sheltered our staff, teachers, children, and parents,” the statement said. “What incredible neighbors we have. What incredible police force we have.”
In January 2026, the FBI Detroit Field Office held an active shooter prevention and preparedness training for the synagogue’s clergy and staff. Rabbi Jennifer Kaluzn said that the training was “sadly necessary” and helped with the response to the incident.
“Everyone knew what to do…the teachers are absolutely heroes,” she told ABC News.
Lisa Stern, a member of the synagogue, shared with the BBC that Temple Israel had increased security since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023 and a rise of anti-Semitism in the United States. The Anti-Defamation League recorded more than 9,300 cases across the country in 2024, the most recent year that data is available for.
Security experts are concerned about the risk of terrorism and targeting of Jewish institutions after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, initiating an ongoing war.
Since then, the Secure Community Network—an organization that provides security consulting for Jewish institutions in North America—tracked a significant uptick in online, threatening rhetoric towards Jewish communities.
“In the first four days after the United States and Israel began airstrikes on Iran, the organization found online more than 4,300 posts targeting Jews with violent rhetoric, a near doubling from the four days before the strikes began,” The New York Times noted. “Some of these posts specifically said that synagogues could be seen as fair targets.”
The threat is not limited to Jewish communities in North America. Early Friday morning, Dutch authorities in Rotterdam reported they were investigating a small fire set at the entrance of a synagogue. The incident came just days after Belgian officials responded to an explosion at a synagogue in Liège.
In a joint bulletin issued on 28 February, the Security Community Network recommended Jewish communities remain vigilant and maintain heightened security measures during the war.
“Tensions involving Iran contribute to an already elevated threat environment driven in part by state-sponsored actors, foreign terrorist organizations, violent extremists, and opportunist groups,” the bulletin said. “Moreover, Iran has threatened, both directly and through its proxies, to target the Jewish community, Israel, and the United States should they be attacked.”
The non-profit organization recommended that Jewish communities follow review its Community Guide for Event Security, consult with local security professionals, and follow its eight best practice recommendations:
- Ensure awareness and coordination with law enforcement and the Jewish Community Security Initiative or security professionals servicing your community.
- Extend the perimeter protections of your events and facilities as far as possible.
- Open events only to identifiable individuals and pre-screened invitation lists.
- Require registration and verification of registrants for events open to the public.
- Provide details of location, time, and other information only upon confirmed registration.
- Allow access control (locks and entrance procedures) to known, confirmed registrants or attendees into facilities and events.
- Remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.
- Add armed on-duty or off-duty law enforcement, private security, or volunteer teams as additional layers of protection wherever possible.
Jewish communities are already spending a significant amount on security costs. The Jewish Federations of North America estimates that Jewish institutions now annually spend $765 million on security and that a typical Jewish organization spends 14 percent of its annual budget on security, according to the Times.
“The president and chief executive of the Jewish Federations, Eric Fingerhut, called this a ‘Jewish tax’ in a recent speech calling for increased federal funding for security, among other measures,” the Times reported.
For more on protecting faith-based institutions, revisit Security Management's Focus on Extremist Threats Against Houses of Worship series.
