Law enforcement near the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, on March 12, 2026. COREY WILLIAMS / AP
An unidentified assailant is dead after ramming his car on Thursday, March 12, into a synagogue on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, and causing a blaze, police said. Security guards opened fire on the attacker at the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told reporters.
"He breached the building, drove down the hall, and he was engaged by security," Bouchard said. "We can't say what killed him at this point, but security did engage the suspect with gunfire." The sheriff said the assailant appeared to be alone in the vehicle and police dogs were checking the car for explosives. "It's been complicated because there's some fire, to say the least, with that vehicle."
Bouchard said a security member was injured by the car and is being treated in the hospital. Smoke could be seen billowing from the synagogue after the attack and fire engines were on the scene. Law enforcement officers raced to the area in large numbers soon after the incident.
Massive law enforcement response
