The United States Northeast Area Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued a statement in response to the attack on a synagogue in Michigan on Thursday, saying that the church “stands with all people of faith who face violence because of their beliefs.”
The statement came hours after a suspect rammed a vehicle into a Michigan synagogue and breached the building. Security officers responded with gunfire, and the suspect was later found dead, according to CNN.
The suspect had a rifle and reports said that responders found what appeared to be explosives in the vehicle.
Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, called the incident a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.”
The synagogue, Temple Israel, is located in West Bloomfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It features an early child care center and school.
“Having experienced a similar attack in nearby Grand Blanc, church members express their love, support and deep concern for all who are affected by today’s act of violence at a synagogue in West Bloomfield,” wrote the area presidency — Elder Allen D. Haynie and his counselors, Elder Mathias Held and Elder Robert M. Daines. “Houses of worship should be sanctuaries of peace, prayer and community. We pray for healing, comfort, and peace for all who are suffering.”
West Bloomfield, Michigan, is about 40 miles from Grand Blanc, Michigan, where 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford drove his truck into a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse on Sept. 28, 2025. After exiting his truck, Sanford began shooting and set fire to the building. Four victims died in the attack, and Sanford was killed by law enforcement.
One month later, the FBI — via a video message from Runyan — confirmed that the attack was “a targeted act of violence believed to be motivated by the assailant’s anti-religious beliefs against the Mormon religious community.”