Police: Man fatally shot in attack on Michigan synagogue
Law enforcement respond to a call at Temple Israel synagogue, Thursday, March 12, 2026 in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)
A man armed with a rifle rammed a vehicle into a major synagogue in a Detroit suburb and was fatally shot by security, sheriff’s officials say.
The vehicle caught on fire after crashing into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township.
“No kids or no staff were injured whatsoever,” Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said. He said one security officer was hit by the vehicle but did not suffer life-threatening injuries.
Synagogues around the world have increased security and protections for worshippers since the U.S. and Israel launched a war with Iran on Feb. 28.
President Trump says he’s been fully briefed on the attack. The president said at a White House event marking Women’s History Month, “I want to send our love to the Michigan Jewish community and all of the people” in the Detroit area.
Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, a survivor of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, said the Michigan attack demonstrates yet again the consequences of hatred.
“We lose our humanity when we seek violent means as a solution,” Myers said in a statement. “No one should dwell in fear because of who they are.”
Myers is rabbi of the Tree of Life Congregation, where 11 worshippers from three congregations were killed in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. The gunman is now on death row.
It was not immediately known who carried out the attack or a possible motive.
The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is condemning the incident.
“There is no justification for anyone to direct violence toward any house or worship or religious institution,” it said in a statement.
Investigators were still working to identify the man and a possible motive for the attack, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.
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