(AP/NBC/Reuters) — A man armed with a rifle crashed a vehicle into one of the largest Reform synagogues in the United States on Thursday before being fatally shot during a confrontation with security personnel, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.
Authorities said the attacker drove a vehicle through the entrance of Temple Israel, a large Jewish congregation in the Detroit suburbs, sending the vehicle into a hallway of the complex.
Shortly after the impact, the vehicle burst into flames, filling parts of the synagogue building with smoke. Investigators later discovered the suspect dead inside the vehicle.
The circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation.
“We can’t say what killed him at this point but security did engage the suspect with gunfire,” Michael Bouchard told reporters.
The sheriff said the attacker appeared to have driven deliberately through the building.
“He was traveling with purpose down the hall, from my look at the video,” Bouchard said.
Authorities have not yet publicly identified the suspect or determined a motive. A person familiar with the investigation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity cautioned that the inquiry remains in its early stages.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene after the crash, where aerial footage showed smoke rising from the synagogue’s roof as police and fire units surrounded the building.
Temple Israel also houses an early childhood center that serves children as young as six weeks old.
Sheriff Bouchard said no children or staff members were injured in the incident.
A security officer stationed at the synagogue was struck by the vehicle and briefly knocked unconscious. The officer was taken to a hospital and is expected to recover, authorities said.
The synagogue maintains multiple security personnel on site, a measure that officials say proved crucial in preventing further harm.
“Everything that was supposed to happen, happened,” Bouchard said. “Security did their job, and then the responders did theirs.”
Police quickly cleared the synagogue building while parents rushed to retrieve children from the preschool program.
About a dozen parents were seen running toward the facility after learning about the incident.
The West Bloomfield School District placed its campuses on lockdown as a precaution.
Authorities also issued a temporary shelter-in-place order within roughly a mile of the synagogue while officers searched the surrounding area to ensure no accomplices were present.
The Michigan State Police confirmed they were aware of what they described as an active incident and urged residents to avoid the area while first responders worked.
Nearby Jewish institutions initially entered lockdown as well after guidance from the Jewish Federation of Detroit, which advised affiliated organizations to secure their buildings until authorities confirmed the situation had stabilized.
The federation later lifted the advisory.
Federal investigators joined local authorities at the scene.
Kash Patel said personnel from the Federal Bureau of Investigation were assisting with the investigation.
“FBI personnel are on the scene with partners in Michigan and responding to the apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter situation out of Temple Israel Synagogue,” Patel wrote on social media.
Investigators were also searching the suspect’s vehicle.
CNN cited law enforcement sources saying a significant quantity of explosives may have been found in the car, though authorities have not yet confirmed those details publicly.
Temple Israel describes itself as the largest Reform synagogue in North America, representing roughly 1% of the Reform movement’s membership.
The congregation includes approximately 12,000 members from around 3,500 families, according to information on its website.
Founded in 1941, the synagogue emphasizes inclusive community life and Jewish education.
“Our mission is to be an inclusive congregation that demonstrates respect for the needs of all,” the synagogue states.
Community members gathered outside police barricades as the investigation unfolded.
Lisa Stern, a congregant who stood outside the perimeter, told NBC News affiliate WDIV that she feared for friends inside the building.
“I’m scared to death for my friends,” Stern said.
She avoided calling anyone she knew inside, worried that a phone ringing could endanger people.
“This is senseless. It’s senseless,” she said.
Samuel Bennett, whose wife had been inside the building during the attack, told WDIV-TV that he struggled to find words after learning she had escaped unharmed.
“I don’t even know what the words are,” Bennett said.
Children from the preschool program were evacuated and transported to a nearby Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit, where they were reunited with their parents.
Gretchen Whitmer said she was closely following developments and expressed support for the Jewish community.
“This is heartbreaking,” Whitmer said in a statement. “Michigan’s Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel also condemned the attack.
“Antisemitism has no place in Michigan and cannot be tolerated,” Nessel said.
Jewish institutions across the United States and abroad have heightened security in recent weeks following the outbreak of a broader conflict in the Middle East after U.S. and Israeli missile strikes on Iran on Feb. 28.
Law enforcement agencies have warned of potential retaliatory threats and extremist activity.
The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia said officers in Washington were increasing patrols around synagogues and other houses of worship as a precaution.
Authorities have also pointed to a rise in antisemitic incidents in recent years.
FBI statistics show that anti-Jewish hate crimes account for nearly two-thirds of religion-based hate crimes reported in the United States.
The incident in West Bloomfield underscores the growing security pressures facing religious institutions across the United States.
Over the past decade, synagogues, churches and mosques have increasingly invested in private security, surveillance systems and emergency preparedness training.
The quick response by armed security officers at Temple Israel may have prevented a far more devastating outcome.
Many Jewish institutions in the U.S. have adopted such measures following high-profile attacks including the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and the Poway synagogue shooting.
Security experts say vehicle ramming attacks have also become a tactic used in extremist violence worldwide because they require minimal planning and are difficult to detect in advance.
For the Jewish community in the Detroit region, the events at Temple Israel serve as a reminder of both vulnerability and resilience.
Rabbi Josh Whinston told reporters that incidents like this often strengthen community resolve.
“While this is deeply upsetting and traumatic, regardless if we know anyone in that community or not, when things like this happen, we deepen our resolve as Jews,” Whinston said.
He added that the synagogue’s security response likely saved lives.
“Thank God they were there,” he said. “It could have been much worse than what it turned out to be.”
