Two violent incidents in the United States this week—one targeting a Jewish synagogue in Michigan and another involving an Islamic State supporter at a Virginia university—are being investigated by federal authorities as acts of terrorism and targeted violence.
In Michigan, a driver rammed a vehicle into Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield on Thursday afternoon. According to Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, the suspect drove through the synagogue’s doors and down a hallway before the vehicle caught fire. Security guards at the synagogue opened fire as the suspect approached and confronted him inside the building.
Authorities said the suspect, identified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, was a naturalised U.S. citizen born in Lebanon who arrived in the United States in 2011. One security guard who was struck by the vehicle was hospitalized but is expected to recover.
The FBI said the incident is being investigated as a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.” The synagogue also houses a preschool, and dozens of children were evacuated safely during the emergency.
On the same day, federal investigators revealed new details about the shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia. Authorities identified the gunman as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former member of the U.S. National Guard who previously pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group.
Jalloh, who was released from prison in 2024, shot and killed one person and wounded two Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) members before being subdued by students and responding authorities. According to the FBI, the suspect shouted “Allahu akbar” before carrying out the attack.
