A man drove a truck into a synagogue in Michigan and then opened fire on people.

On March 12, an incident occurred at the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. Authorities are investigating it as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community. The attacker rammed the synagogue doors, opened fire on temple security guards, and was killed instantly, according to Detroit News.

The attacker, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a Lebanese-American citizen who lived in Dearborn Heights, 40 kilometers from the scene, rammed a truck through the synagogue's main doors at approximately 12:19 p.m. local time. He then opened fire with a rifle and engaged in a shootout with temple security guards.

Synagogue security responded quickly, engaging the attacker in a firefight and fatally shooting him on the spot. One of the security guards was injured and taken to the hospital; his condition is unknown. None of the approximately 140 children, staff, and congregants inside the building (including those in the synagogue's children's center and school) were injured. The car caught fire after colliding with the gate, filling the building with smoke, but there were no injuries.

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Ghazali is believed to have carried out the attack alone.

Dozens of police cars, SWAT teams, helicopters, and FBI and ATF agents arrived at the scene. Nearby schools and places of worship were placed on high security alert.

That evening, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially confirmed the identity of the attacker.

Ayman Ghazali, 41, a native of Lebanon, became a U.S. citizen more than 10 years ago during the Obama administration, according to a statement from the department. He entered the United States through Detroit on May 10, 2011, on an immigrant visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen. He filed his naturalization application on October 20, 2015, and was granted citizenship on February 5, 2016.

According to court documents, Ghazali's ex-wife filed for divorce in Wayne County Circuit Court in August 2024. The couple had at least one child, according to the court, and the divorce was finalized seven months later, in March 2025. Mohammad Ahmad Mussa, the ex-wife's attorney in the divorce case, declined to comment.

At least four of Ghazali's relatives were killed in a military strike in Lebanon several days earlier, sources said.

The Israeli military carried out several waves of airstrikes in Lebanon, where Lebanese officials say at least 687 people have been killed. Lebanon became embroiled in the US-Israeli war against Iran after Hezbollah launched missiles and drones at Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Iran's supreme leader.

Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun noted that "earlier this month, Ghazali lost several members of his family, including a niece and nephew, in an Israeli strike on their home in Lebanon."

Baydoun responded to the attack on Temple Israel by saying, "Every person deserves the opportunity to pray in peace, and we must unequivocally condemn any attack on the temple or the people inside it."

"This tragedy comes at a time when communities everywhere are facing increased hatred and senseless violence," he emphasized. "Wherever violence occurs, whether in West Bloomfield or anywhere else in the world, harming innocent people is something we must all stand firm against. The tensions we see around the world too often spill into our own neighborhoods, reminding us how intertwined our shared security is."

A search of Ghazali's Dearborn Heights home was scheduled for March 12, but when reporters arrived at the address that evening, there was no activity, according to one source.

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Synagogue representatives thanked the teachers, staff, security, police, and the neighboring Shenandoah Community Center, which sheltered the families during the incident. The FBI took over the investigation, classifying it as a "targeted act of violence against the Jewish community." There are no indications yet of the involvement of other individuals or organized groups, but the incident has heightened concerns about anti-Semitism in the United States due to the conflict in the Middle East.

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