What we know
• A suspect is dead after ramming a vehicle into a Detroit-area synagogue today, Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. The incident happened at Temple Israel, which includes an early childcare center and school, in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan.
• The local police department and other law enforcement agencies are now holding a news conference to discuss the attack.
• Earlier, law enforcement officials briefed on the scene said that emergency responders found what appeared to be a large amount of explosives in the back of the vehicle.
• After the vehicle drove into the building, security opened gunfire and the suspect was later found dead, Bouchard said. A security guard was hit by the vehicle but is expected to recover, the sheriff said. Also, at least 30 law enforcement officers were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation, he said.
NOW: Police department news conference on Temple Israel attack is underway
The West Bloomfield Police Department and other law enforcement agencies are holding a news conference on today’s car ramming at a local synagogue.
We’ll bring you the latest as more details emerge.
Michigan attorney general worried antisemitism will make people afraid to go to synagogues
The attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township today hits close to home for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. She said some of her family members live down the street from the synagogue and others are members of the congregation.
She was at Temple Israel last year to give a presentation about hate crimes and domestic terrorism, she told CNN’s Jake Tapper. Now, that violence became a reality when a suspect rammed their vehicle filled with explosives into the synagogue, officials said.
“Here we are today in a totally predictable fashion having an act of domestic terrorism right here at that same spot,” she said.
The security guards who saw and opened fire on the suspect were “well-trained” and “well-prepared,” the attorney general said. Law enforcement is investigating “out of an abundance of caution” to make sure there was only one person involved, but right now it appears that the person who was found dead in the vehicle was responsible for the attack, Nessel said.
Nessel said she is worried that a rise of antisemitism in America is going to make people afraid to go to synagogues or other Jewish spaces.
Nessel, a Democrat, said she thinks “it’s time for people to speak up about what we see happening in American politics right now” in both parties to combat hateful rhetoric. She also believes current international events are playing a role.
“I think we can absolutely draw a nexus between the war in Iran and the events of today,” Nessel said. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that out of all the synagogues or temples that this individual could have picked, he picked the one that is named Temple Israel.”
Synagogue attack has "shaken me and so many others to their core," Michigan lawmaker says
Michigan state Rep. Samantha Steckloff said that today’s attack on her synagogue, Temple Israel, has “absolutely shaken” her.
Steckloff said she lives about 4 miles away from the synagogue, and it is her “safe space.”
Steckloff said it was “heartbreaking” to watch parents race to pick their young children from the synagogue which has a school and an early childcare center onsite.
“This is supposed to be the safe space and that was destroyed today,” she added.
The Democratic lawmaker said the conflict with Iran has created a heightened sense of fear in the Jewish community.
“When you have so many people blaming the Jewish community across the world for a war that is being done in the Middle East, the divisiveness you have seen boil up for the past few years was just almost ripe for the picking,” Steckloff said.
“This was almost one of my biggest fears. Everyone deserves to live in peace. Everyone deserves to worship in peace. This is our first amendment right,” she added.
At least 8 first responders were taken to hospitals after synagogue attack
At least eight first responders were taken to Detroit-area hospitals after a ramming attack at Temple Israel earlier today, according to Henry Ford Health, a Michigan-based health system.
The first responders are being treated at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital and Henry Ford Providence Novi Hospital, the health system said in a statement to CNN. It did not provide information about their conditions or how many went to each hospital.
A security guard, who was hit by the vehicle and knocked unconcious, was taken to the hospital, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said earlier today. It is unclear if that person is considered one of the eight first responders who were hurt.
No children or staff at the synagogue’s school were injured, the sheriff said.
“Our hearts go out to the community at Temple Israel and anyone who is impacted by this this frightening event. There is absolutely no place for violence in our community,” the healthcare system said in a statement.
Tree of Life congregation grieves "lost sense of security" amid Michigan incident
The Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh is expressing support following the incident at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, according to a statement from congregation leaders.
In 2018, a gunman opened fire inside the Tree of Life temple, killing 11 people and wounding six others in what the Anti-Defamation League has called the deadliest-ever attack on Jewish people in the United States.
While no members of the Temple Israel community were killed or seriously injured in today’s attack, Tree of Life CEO Carole Zawatsky expressed grief in a statement, saying the incident has awakened feelings of fear in the Jewish community.
“We grieve for a lost sense of security; that we live in a world where Jews have to worship under the protection of armed guards; that preschoolers must be equipped to survive an active shooting situation,” Zawatsky said.
Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, a survivor of the 2018 shooting, shared words of caution: “The tragedy of today’s events in West Bloomfield demonstrates what happens when we let H[ate] take over: it leads to violence. We lose our humanity when we seek violent means as a solution. No one should dwell in fear because of who they are.”
Israel "shocked" by synagogue attack
Israeli officals are expressing alarm at the attack on a Detroit-area synagogue.
“Shocked by the attack on a synagogue near Detroit,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar posted to X, adding that the country is in touch with the Jewish community and local authorities. “Antisemitism must never be allowed to rear its ugly head.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he spoke to Jewish leaders in Detroit after the incident to receive updates and show express solidarity with the local Jewish community.
Jewish community spends $765 million on security per year
Security is nothing new for Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, nor for Jewish institutions across the country.
Overall, the Jewish community in North America spends about $765 million per year on security costs, according to the Jewish Federations of North America.
The Secure Community Network, or SCN, is a national organization that offers trainings and intelligence for securing Jewish institutions. Michael Masters, the national director and CEO, described the SCN as the “FBI for the Jewish community,” overseeing security from a high level and offering a curriculum for regional Jewish federations to train local institutions.
Over 13,000 institutions are part of the network, and Masters said they trained over 40,000 members of the Jewish community last year.
Their work has grown exponentially over the past decade, particularly since the 2018 attack on Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue. Masters said the SCN had four employees and a budget of $1.2 million in 2017. It now has a $34 million budget and 130 employees.
The heavy security at Jewish institutions is easy to see, noted Donell Harvin, the former chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence for Washington, DC.
“I’ve worked a lot with houses of worship in DC, and every time I go to a synagogue I’m taken aback by how prepared they are, with armed security that is visible, sometimes law enforcement,” he said. “This community has been under siege for quite a long time. They’re not new to this.”
Homeland Security Investigations unit is on scene at Temple Israel, DHS secretary says
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations division is on scene at the Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, according to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“HSI is currently on the scene in Michigan with other federal agencies and local law enforcement, and we are closely monitoring the alleged shooter report and vehicle crash at the Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan,” Noem posted on X .
Earlier, Attorney General Pam Bondi said agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were also on scene.
A timeline of how a vehicle rammed into a Detroit-area synogogue
The suspect who rammed through a Detroit-area synagogue on Thursday is dead, but no one else is seriously hurt in an incident that could have been “far worse,” according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
Here’s a timeline of what we know so far about how the events unfolded:
- A vehicle arrived at the Temple Israel synagogue, which includes an early childcare center and school, breached the building, driving through the doors, down the hall and “all the way” into the facility located in West Bloomfield Township, Bouchard said.
- When the suspect came into the synagogue, multiple security officers who were on the scene saw them and engaged in gunfire, Bouchard said.
- One of the lead security officers was hit by the vehicle and knocked unconscious before he was pulled from the area by other members of his team, the sheriff said. He was taken to the hospital for treatment and is stable, he added.
- The sheriff could not say what killed the suspect, but he noted security did engage with gunfire and said the suspect had a rifle. “You never know, if somebody’s trapped sometimes, they kill themselves,” he added.
- The suspect’s body was badly burnt, two sources familiar with the matter said. Something caught fire inside the vehicle, Bouchard said.
- Emergency responders found what appeared to be a large amount of explosives in the back of the vehicle, according to multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the scene.
- Agents from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) arrived on the scene to assist the investigation, but the sheriff’s department will likely lead the probe, Bouchard said.
- Law enforcement are still working to clear the area, but they believe that they have accounted for everyone who was in the building, Bouchard said. Reunification of families and the children are in progress, he added.
- A significant number of bomb dogs and techs are on site as law enforcement is working to clear the vehicle of any explosives and any other threats, the sheriff said.
- Extra security will be added around Jewish spaces in the West Bloomfield Township area out of “an abundance of caution,” the sheriff said.
- The sheriff said he had been talking to other local law enforcement officials about the potential of violence for the last two weeks. Because of this incident, the synagogue was prepared and had security who “engaged the threat,” Bouchard said.
"Now is the time to show up" for the Jewish community, rabbi says
After the attack on Temple Israel today, elected leaders and allies of different faiths should show up for the Jewish community on Sabbath, said Rabbi Steve Leder of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles.
“It really matters. No one suffers pain better alone. So please, please show up with a full heart,” he added.
Leder also expressed heartbreak for the parents of the children who may have been at the Temple at the time of the attack, and anger at the fear for safety among Jewish communities.
“No Jewish community in America is going to stand around with their hands in their pockets and be a victim,” he told CNN. “We need to protect ourselves. We’re grateful to the synagogue security. We need fences, we need bollards, we need guns, we need cameras. We need it at all.”
Trump says White House is sending “our love” to the Jewish community in Michigan
President Donald Trump said that the White House is sending “our love” to the Jewish community in Michigan, making his first public comments since the Temple Israel attack today.
“Before we begin, I want to send our love to the Michigan Jewish community and all of the people in Detroit, Detroit area, following the attack on the Jewish synagogue early today, and I’ve been briefed, fully briefed and it’s a terrible thing,” the president said from the East Room.
As he left the event today, he added that the attack was “tragic.”
A suspect is dead after ramming a vehicle into a Detroit-area synagogue today, Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. The incident happened at Temple Israel, which includes an early childcare center and school, in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan.
Officials will hold news conference at 6 p.m. ET
Authorities will hold a news conference about the Detroit-area synagogue attack at 6 p.m. ET., the West Bloomfield Police Department said.
The update was previously slated for earlier but was moved to 6 p.m. because of the “fluid” nature of the incident, police said.
Representatives from the FBI’s Detroit field office, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, and other law enforcement agencies will be at the news conference, officials said.
This post has been updated with additional information.
All students of school affiliated with synagogue are safe
The more than 100 students enrolled at the early childhood center and school affiliated with Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, are safe, the synagogue said in a Facebook post Thursday.
Teachers used prior training to keep students safe and calm, the post said.
Detroit-area incident follows other recent attacks on Jewish community
Thursday’s attack at Temple Israel is the latest in a series of incidents at a Jewish facility or event in the United States and abroad.
The number of antisemitic incidents has been on the rise for the past four years in the US, with data from the Anti-Defamation League showing incidents in 2024 reached the highest level since the organization began tracking them in 1979, according to an audit by the organization released last year.
Here’s a list of some recent attacks in the US and abroad:
- February 2026: A man was charged with committing a hate crime after a pickup truck rammed into the gates of the biggest synagogue in Brisbane, Australia.
- January 2026: A suspect admitted to setting fire to Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson – Mississippi’s largest Jewish house of worship – using gasoline as an accelerant, according to a criminal complaint.
- December 2025: In Australia, two gunmen opened fire on families celebrating the first night of Hanukkah at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach, killing 15 people, in the country’s worst mass shooing in almost 30 years.
- October 2025: At least two Jewish worshippers were killed and several others were seriously injured in a car ramming and stabbing attack outside a synagogue in the English city of Manchester on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.
- June 2025: Federal prosecutors allege a man attacked demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, at a Jewish community event supporting Israeli hostages in Gaza with Molotov cocktails. The attack injured people and an 82-year-old woman later died from her injuries.
- May 2025: Two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot and killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC in a suspected act of terrorism, officials say.
Oakland County law enforcement on the scene after synagogue attack
Video Credit: WDIV
Law enforcement officers wearing tactical gear cluster around an Oakland County armored vehicle.
Michigan lawmaker who attends Temple Israel says attack was his "worst nightmare"
Michigan state Rep. Noah Arbit was devastated when he heard there was an attack at his house of worship: Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan.
“The idea that this issue that I work a lot on hate crimes and domestic terrorism, would come home to roost at my synagogue, in my own community, is simply my worst nightmare,” the Democratic lawmaker to CNN’s Boris Sanchez.
Arbit has focused his work in the Michigan House of Representatives on domestic terrorism and hate crimes, introducing legislation barring the destruction and vandalism of houses of worship and other institutions and expanding the state’s hate crimes law. Both measures were signed into law.
Temple Israel, a Reformed Jewish synagogue, has been a constant part of Arbit’s life. Last year, he held a hate crimes town hall at the synagogue and it’s where he had his bar mitzvah, he said.
Suspect's body is badly burned inside vehicle, sources say
The suspect’s body is badly burned, two sources familiar with the matter said, which may make it more difficult for investigators to identify them.
The suspect was found inside the vehicle, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said today.
Remember: Authorities said the suspect is dead after ramming a vehicle into Temple Israel, a Detroit-area synagogue. Emergency responders found what appeared to be a large amount of explosives in the back of the vehicle, according to law enforcement officials.
The latest as officials work to clear explosives from vehicle that rammed into synagogue
We are learning new details about what happened after officials say a person rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into a Michigan synagogue.
Here’s what to know:
- The suspect is dead, and no staff or students at the school at the synagogue were hurt, according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
- One of the security guards was taken to the hospital after they were hit by the vehicle, Bouchard said, but they are expected to recover.
- The suspect drove through the doors of the building and had a rifle, the sheriff said.
- Security saw them and opened fire, he said. The suspect was found dead inside the vehicle, according to the sheriff. The body was badly burnt, two sources familiar with the matter said.
- Something caught fire inside the vehicle, Bouchard said. Emergency responders found what appeared to be a large amount of explosives in the back, according to multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the scene. They are working to clear any other threats, the sheriff said.
- The vehicle went “all the way” inside the building and that authorities are unable to determine the extent of the damage to the synagogue.
A suspect is dead after ramming a vehicle into a Detroit-area synagogue today, a source told CNN. The sheriff said there were no confirmed injuries at Temple Israel, which includes an early childcare center and school, in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan.
CNN’s Cindy Von Quednow, Maureen Chowdhury, Hannah Rabinowitz, John Miller, Holmes Lybrand and Brynn Gingras contributed reporting to this post.
Local rabbi describes "roller coaster" of emotions following synagogue attack
Rabbi Benny Greenwald told reporters outside Temple Israel that he was feeling “a roller coaster of, obviously, shock that this could happen here, but at the same time a strong resolve” after hearing no teachers or students were hurt in the attack on the Michigan synagogue.
Greenwald works with the Friendship Circle, a nonprofit in West Bloomfield dedicated to people with special needs.
“There’s so much evil in the world, but there’s so much more goodness and kindness,” Greenwald said. “And to highlight that goodness and kindness and be good and kind to each other.”
Suspect's vehicle went "all the way in the building," sheriff says
Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the suspect’s vehicle went “all the way” inside the building and that authorities are unable to determine the extent of the damage to the synagogue.
“That I can’t even tell you,” Bouchard said about potential damage to the building. He added that law enforcement had “to send people in with gas masks to clear that area.”
Bouchard said it’s “hard to say how fast” the suspect was driving when he rammed into the building. “I mean he was traveling with purpose and down the hall, from my look at the video,” he added.
