A car was driven into the hallway of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, on Thursday afternoon. The vehicle crashed near classrooms and the synagogues early childhood center, which serves about 140 children. Security guards on site shot and killed the driver before the incident became a mass-casualty event, officials said.

What happened at the synagogue

The crash set the vehicle on fire and dark smoke billowed from the building. One security officer was struck by the car and was knocked unconscious but did not suffer life-threatening injuries. Around 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation.

Staff and parents scrambled, but children were evacuated and reunited with families soon after authorities cleared the building. A dozen parents ran to the scene and others met children at a nearby community center.

Voices from inside

  • Cassi Cohen, Temple Israels director of strategic development, said she heard a loud bang, gathered staff and locked her office. "When I heard the crash, I knew it was bad," she said.
  • Rabbi Arianna Gordon thanked the security team, law enforcement and teachers for getting children out safely and reuniting them with parents amid the chaos.

Who the suspect was

Authorities named the driver as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41. He was born in Lebanon, moved to the United States in 2011 on a family visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2016, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The FBI, which is leading the investigation, described the incident as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community.

What officials say about his family in Lebanon

Lebanese state officials and local sources reported that an Israeli airstrike struck the town of Mashgharah on 5 March. Four members of Ghazalis family were killed in that strike: his brothers Kassim and Ibrahim, and Ibrahims children, Ali and Fatima. A woman believed to be Ibrahims wife survived but was seriously wounded and remains hospitalized.

Local officials said the strike happened just after sunset while the family was breaking their fast during the month of Ramadan.

Reports described Kassim as a well-known soccer coach and personal trainer and Ibrahim as a village school bus driver. Ghazalis father had been in the United States and returned to Lebanon recently.

Context

The strike in Lebanon came amid a broader escalation in the region. In recent weeks, the United States and Israel carried out strikes on targets in Iran, and Israel resumed attacks on Lebanon in operations aimed at Iran-backed Hezbollah. Hostilities intensified after Hezbollah fired missiles and drones into Israel in early March, and fighting in the area has widened rapidly.

Local impact and reaction

Temple Israel is in Oakland County, Michigans second-largest county with roughly 1.3 million residents and a large share of the Detroit-area Jewish population. The synagogue reports about 12,000 members.

Security at synagogues worldwide has been heightened since the start of recent strikes and the wider conflict. Local leaders expressed gratitude that security measures and quick responses prevented a worse outcome.

Former president Donald Trump called the attack "a terrible thing." Steven Ingber, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, said he was not surprised given the tense climate.

Another violent incident the same day

At roughly the same time, a separate shooting occurred at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Authorities identified that suspect as Mohamed Jalloh. He shot and killed one person and wounded two others before being subdued and killed by students in a Reserve Officers Training Corps class. Jalloh had a prior conviction for attempting to provide material support to a militant group and reportedly shouted an Arabic phrase during the attack. The FBI is investigating that shooting as an alleged act of terrorism.

What comes next

The FBI continues to investigate the Michigan incident. Local and national authorities are reviewing the suspects motive, travel and contacts, while Temple Israel and other congregations continue to evaluate and strengthen on-site security in response to the broader threats and recent violence.