FBI is investigating Michigan synagogue attack as a targeted act of violence. What to know

Published March 13, 2026 12:35pm ET



Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) vowed to combat the “ancient and rampant evil” antisemitism that led to the attack on a Michigan synagogue this week, an incident the FBI is investigating as a “targeted act of violence.”

Wielding a rifle, the suspect rammed his vehicle into the Temple Israel synagogue, known as the “largest Reform synagogue” in the United States, on Thursday while school was in session in its early childhood learning center. Security responded immediately, and no one was hurt besides the gunman, who was killed on site in a gunfire exchange with law enforcement.

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