On March 12, 2026, a shooting and vehicle-ramming terrorist attack occurred at Temple Israel, a Reform synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, United States. 41-year-old Ayman Mohamed Ghazali rammed his vehicle into the building and opened fire before he died by suicide. The vehicle caught fire, possibly from something flammable inside, and severely burned Ghazali's body. One security guard was struck and injured by the vehicle and 63 law enforcement officers were transported to hospitals to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Four members of Ghazali's family – his two brothers, his niece, and his nephew – were killed in an Israeli airstrike during the 2026 Lebanon war on March 5. On March 15, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) alleged that his brother Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali, who was killed in the attack, was a commander in Hezbollah within a specialized branch of the Badr unit.Kershner, Isabel; and Odenheimer, Natan. "Israel Says Michigan Synagogue Attacker’s Brother Was a Hezbollah Commander", The New York Times, March 15, 2026. Accessed March 15, 2026. "The Israeli military said on Sunday that the brother of the man who drove a truck into a synagogue in Michigan last Thursday was a Hezbollah commander who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon earlier this month. The synagogue attacker, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, was a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Lebanon.... Israel said it had confirmed the death of Ibrahim Mohamad Ghazali and his role in Hezbollah after an intelligence analysis but provided no details about how it had verified the information." The attack was determined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to have been a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism against the Jewish community.

Background Established in 1941 with 600 families as members, Temple Israel's first permanent home was constructed in the Palmer Park neighborhood of Detroit, and its current facility was constructed in 1980 in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Robinson, Beth. "West Bloomfield Temple houses Homeless", The Oakland News, December 27, 2009. Accessed March 15, 2026. "Caring and innovation appear to be the keys to growing a 3,500-family congregation from the 600 families that joined Rabbi Leon Fram to worship in a Detroit Institute of Arts auditorium in 1941. In 1950, Temple Israel moved to the Palmer Park building, which was home for 30 years. In 1980, Temple Israel followed the northwest migration of Detroit’s Jewish community, moving to its current home of 100,000 square feet on 26 acres in West Bloomfield." With 3,500 member families and 12,000 members in 2026, the congregation describes itself as "the nation's largest Reform synagogue"."Michigan lawmaker urges people to stay away from scene", NBC News, March 12, 2026. Accessed March 12, 2026. "Mallory McMorrow, Michigan's Senate majority whip, wrote on X that she was aware of initial reports of the situation at Temple Israel. "Please stay away from the area and listen to direction from first responders as we wait to learn more," she wrote."

In the years after World War II, thousands of Holocaust survivors came to live in the area. In 1984, the community established the nation's first standalone Holocaust museum, in walking distance from Temple Israel. The museum moved from its original location in 2004 and is now named The Zekelman Holocaust Center."'Deep failure' in 'NYT' framing of Zionism, not Holocaust about attacked Michigan synagogue". Cleveland Jewish News, March 13, 2026. Accessed March 15, 2026.. "'Temple Israel in West Bloomfield was built in 1941, as the Nazi murder machine began its systematic destruction of European Jewry,' Simony stated. 'The Jews of Detroit raised its walls while Jews in Europe were being loaded onto trains.'... 'Thousands of Holocaust survivors rebuilt their lives in West Bloomfield after the war. In 1984, they opened the first free-standing Holocaust museum in the United States, steps from Temple Israel,' he stated."The Zekelman Holocaust Center, Visit Detroit. Accessed March 15, 2026. "Founded in 1984 by Michigan survivors to create a lasting memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, The Zekelman Holocaust Center is guided by its mission to engage, educate, and empower by remembering the Holocaust."

The Jewish Federation of Detroit said a pattern of rising regional and national antisemitism existed prior to the attack.

Attack Before carrying out the attack, Ghazali waited at the synagogue's parking lot for more than two hours. Shortly before 12:19 p.m. EDT, he drove his Ford F-150 pickup truck into the front entrance of the synagogue. The attacker drove the vehicle through the doors and down the hall,"Live Updates: Security Guard Opens Fire After Truck Rams Michigan Synagogue", The New York Times, March 12, 2026. Accessed March 15, 2026 striking a guard, who was the congregation's director of security, after which the truck burst into flames."Shooter dead in Jewish synagogue attack in West Bloomfield: 'No kids or staff injured'", WJBK, March 12, 2026. Accessed March 12, 2026. "A security guard shot the driver. One body was found in the vehicle. He said something ignited inside the vehicle, sparking a fire. One security guard was injured after being struck by the truck, which had traveled down the hallway after breaking through the entrance. He is expected to be okay. There were no children and no staff injured.""Jewish Federation of Detroit releases statement after attack at Temple Israel", CBS News, March 12, 2026. Accessed March 12, 2026. "Our thoughts are with the Temple Israel Director of Security who was injured during the incident, and we wish him a full and speedy recovery. We are also deeply appreciative of our local law enforcement agencies and Jewish Community Security, Inc. for their ongoing dedication to keeping our Jewish community safe." The vehicle jammed in the hallway, preventing Ghazali from exiting it, after which two armed security guards exchanged fire with Ghazali, shooting through his windshield and rear window.

Reports indicated that Ghazali opened fire with a rifle after crashing his vehicle, and that ambulances and other emergency vehicles were on site.Hutchinson, Derick. "Police called to 'active shooting' after car crashes into Jewish synagogue in West Bloomfield", Click on Detroit, March 12, 2026. Accessed March 12, 2026. During the shootout, the truck's glove compartment caught on fire. Ghazali, still in the vehicle, committed suicide by a gunshot to his head."Suspect dead in active shooter situation at Michigan synagogue", Jewish Insider, March 12, 2026. Accessed March 12, 2026. "Armed security stationed at the synagogue engaged with a suspect inside a vehicle that 'breached the facility by driving into it,' Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. Shots were fired, and the suspected assailant was killed inside the vehicle, according to Bouchard, who added that 'we can't say what killed him at this point, but security did engage him with gunfire.'" Smoke billowed from the building from the fire and caused heavy damage, and Ghazali's body was badly burned.Hutchison, Derick. "Suspect killed after crash, shooting at West Bloomfield synagogue, source says", Click on Detroit, March 12, 2026. Accessed March 12, 2026. "The person suspected of crashing a truck into a West Bloomfield synagogue before shots were fired has been killed, according to a source." Other security officers took the injured guard to a nearby hospital, and he is expected to survive. Sixty-three law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation. Henry Ford Health reported that its medical teams were caring for eight injured first responders, though the nature of their injuries was not provided.

An on-site school at Temple Israel was in session with more than 100 students and a staff of 50, who had been trained on dealing with incidents on-site by barricading doors and preparing evacuation routes. Children were carried out of windows by police and staff and brought to Shenandoah Country Club, where they were reunited with their parents.Bosman, Julie; and Rosman, Katherine. "A Crash, Gunfire and Then a Race to Save a Synagogue Full of Children", The New York Times, March 13, 2026. Accessed March 15, 2026. "The bang that shattered the afternoon on Thursday at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich., was so loud, so inexplicable, that several rabbis and staff members in the building rushed into the hallway all at once. A truck had rammed through the building doors and down a corridor, past the nursery where infants slept, veering toward the gym where children played. Debris was falling from the ceiling and crumpled walls.... On Thursday, with 103 children and nearly 50 teachers, clergy and staff members inside the building, Temple Israel responded without a pause." Due to a water main break in surrounding Oakland County, the water pressure had to be closely monitored during the fire fighting response as much of the township's water was being redirected to Commerce Township and Wixom. To prevent the fire fighters from losing water pressure, personnel were stationed at the connections to Commerce Township to shut off supply if needed.

Perpetrator Authorities identified the perpetrator as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamed Ghazali (January 4, 1985 – March 12, 2026), a Lebanese-born US citizen and a Hamido Restaurant worker from Dearborn Heights, Michigan. On March 5, a drone strike conducted by the Israeli military in Machghara, his home town, killed Ghazali's brothers, Kassim and Ibrahim, and Ibrahim's children Ali and Fatima (Ayman's nephew and niece), as part of the 2026 Lebanon war at their home.

Initial reports citing law enforcement officials said Ghazali was flagged in government databases for his contact with suspected Hezbollah members, but was not said to have been a member himself. The FBI later stated he was not on the federal terrorist watchlist, and was not the subject of or referenced in any prior FBI investigation. He had been living in Michigan since he entered the United States on an IR1 immigrant visa as the spouse of a US citizen in 2011, after both alien relative and fiancé petitions were approved. Ghazali applied for naturalization in 2015 and was granted US citizenship in 2016.

Authorities confirmed that Ghazali posted several images of his relatives who were killed in the Israeli attacks on WhatsApp in the hours before the attack. Wayne County Circuit Court confirmed that Ghazali's ex-wife filed for divorce in 2024, and that it was granted the following year. Two minutes after Ghazali attacked Temple Israel, his ex-wife called police to report that he had just called her and told her to "send money overseas" and that she feared he was suicidal because four of his family members had recently been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. When asked if she knew if Ghazali had weapons at home, she said she didn't know and said that "The way that he was talking to me, he was telling me to take care of my family in Lebanon".

A US official provided a picture to CBS News that Ghazali had sent to a family member in Lebanon on the day of the attack. The picture featured Ghazali holding the AR-15–style rifle he used in the attack edited with verses from the Quran on it in yellow text. The text read in Arabic: "Among the believers are men who have been true to what they pledged to God. Some of them have fulfilled their vow, and some are still waiting. They have never changed," and the lower text referenced "vengeance".

Aftermath