Assailant dead after vehicle ramming, gunfire at Michigan synagogue in US
Authorities report car ramming at Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan; Attacker found dead.
Published On 12 Mar 202612 Mar 2026
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An unidentified man has been killed following an “active shooter situation” at a synagogue in the Detroit metropolitan area in Michigan, according to authorities.
Law enforcement had rushed to Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, on Thursday following the incident, which FBI Director Kash Patel described as an “apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter situation”.
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Oakland Sheriff Mike Bouchard told reporters that a car had rammed into the synagogue, which also houses an early learning centre for children. The driver then engaged in gunfire with security at the site.
“Security saw him, engaged him in gunfire,” Bouchard said.
The assailant was later found dead in the vehicle, which caught fire, Bouchard said. The cause of death was not immediately clear.
The sheriff said one member of the security team had been hit by a car and was hospitalised. No one else was reported injured.
Video of the incident showed a massive police response and smoke coming from the building.
Authorities said they were still sweeping the site for any explosives.
Trump briefed
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said US President Donald Trump had been briefed on the situation.
In a post on X, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer called the incident “heartbreaking”.
“Michigan’s Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace,” she said.
The Jewish Federation of Detroit sent a message to its followers online to avoid approaching the synagogue.
“Our Jewish agencies are currently in precautionary lockdown,” the federation wrote on Facebook. “We ask community members to stay away from the area at this time.”
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The incident comes amid heightened fears of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia following the outbreak of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in 2023 and the start last month of a new Israeli and US military campaign against Iran.
A law enforcement official told reporters on Thursday that a general alert had been put out for sensitive locations since the outbreak of the war with Iran, but no specific threats were known to have been made against the Temple Israel Synagogue.
The Temple Israel Synagogue was established in 1941 and currently has about 12,000 members, according to its website.
