Investigators are working to determine the exact motive behind an attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, after a 41-year-old naturalized United States citizen born in Lebanon rammed a vehicle into the synagogue while armed with a rifle. Authorities said the man, identified as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, drove down a hallway before the vehicle caught fire. He was shot and killed by security personnel.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading the case and described the incident as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community. About 140 children and more than 30 staff members were inside the synagogue’s early childhood center at the time, but none were injured. One security officer was struck by the vehicle and knocked unconscious but did not suffer life-threatening injuries, and 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation.

Ghazali entered the United States in 2011 on a visa as the spouse of a United States citizen and became a citizen in 2016, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The attack comes amid heightened security concerns at synagogues worldwide following escalating conflict involving Israel and Iran. Community leaders said they were shaken but not surprised, noting it was the second attack on a house of worship in Michigan within the past year.