Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has said Jewish Americans are 'a community on edge' after security staff thwarted a planned attack on a Detroit-area synagogue and preschool. The assailant, who drove a truck containing explosives into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield township, was killed in an exchange of gunfire with security personnel.
The suspect, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, was a naturalised US citizen born in Lebanon. It emerged on Friday that he had lost four family members in an Israeli airstrike last week, as the US-Israeli war on Iran intensifies. One security guard sustained minor injuries, while 140 children from the temple's early learning centre were evacuated safely.
Whitmer condemned the attack as 'antisemitism' and 'hate, plain and simple', urging politicians to lower the political temperature. Senator Elissa Slotkin praised the temple's private security staff and local law enforcement, noting that without their rapid response, 'we would be talking about an immense tragedy here today with children gone'.
Jewish communities across the US are warning that increased security is needed at places of worship and gathering to prevent future violence. The incident has stoked fears of a backlash against Jewish targets amid the escalating US-Israeli war against Iran. Several leading Jewish American organisations are demanding more funding and resources to harden security at vulnerable locations.
The Orthodox Union said in a statement that 'this incident is a stark and frightening reminder that Jewish institutions across the US continue to face serious and persistent threats', adding that 'the escalating hateful rhetoric in the public discourse puts a target on the backs of all Jews'. Security at synagogues and Jewish centres has been stepped up since the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh and the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.
