Michigan Synagogue Attack Was ‘Targeted Act of Violence Against the Jewish Community,’ FBI Says

The FBI is investigating a shooting and vehicle ramming incident at a Michigan synagogue as a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.”

Police responded to a call about an active shooter just after noon on March 12 at the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, which is located just outside Detroit.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said the armed suspect drove into the building and down the hall before he engaged in gunfire with security. The vehicle sent a large black cloud of smoke into the air, visible to neighbors in the area.

The suspect in the vehicle died, but Bouchard could not confirm if it was from gunfire or the blaze that engulfed the car after the crash.

“I can’t tell you what he died of until we get a little further,” he said.

Bouchard noted that “something ignited in the vehicle,” and bomb dogs were called in to search the car and area for improvised explosive devices.

No children or staff were injured during the incident, and everyone in the building was accounted for.

A lead security guard was hit by the car and taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

At least 30 law enforcement officers who responded to the scene were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation because of the fumes that came from the burning car.

The suspect’s name has not yet been released.

“This is heartbreaking,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wrote in an X post.

“Michigan’s Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace. Antisemitism and violence have no place in Michigan. I am hoping for everyone’s safety.”

The Jewish Federation of Detroit announced that all of its Jewish agencies in the area entered a precautionary lockdown after the incident.

Temple Israel is the nation’s largest Reform synagogue, with 12,000 members, according to its website.

Police said New York City remains on high alert.

“The NYPD is tracking the situation in West Bloomfield, Michigan, and we are in touch with our law enforcement partners,” the New York Police Department wrote on X.

“Out of an abundance of caution, and given the overall heightened threat environment, we’re continuing to deploy high-visibility patrols to Jewish religious and cultural institutions in the city.”

Synagogues across the globe have heightened security for worshipers since the United States and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury against the Iranian regime on Feb. 28.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.