ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Millions of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians gathered on Monday at celebrations for Epiphany, locally known as Timkat, which commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist.
In Batu, a town on the western shore of Lake Dambal (Hora-Dambal) in the Oromia Region, thousands of pilgrims entered the lake waters after priests blessed them, symbolically reenacting baptism and embracing the festival’s themes of purification, renewal, and faith.
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Holy water is sprayed on Ethiopian Orthodox worshippers, during the celebration of the Ethiopian Epiphany on lake Dembel, in Batu, Ethiopia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Amanuel Sileshi)
High priests celebrate Timket, the Ethiopian Epiphany, on the shore of lake Dembel, in Batu, Ethiopia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Amanuel Sileshi)
An Ethiopian orthodox believer jumps from a boat as faithful celebrate Timket, the Ethiopian Epiphany, on lake Dembel, in Batu, Ethiopia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Amanuel Sileshi)
Ethiopian orthodox believers ride boats to celebrate Timket, the Ethiopian Epiphany, on lake Dembel, in Batu, Ethiopia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Amanuel Sileshi)
High priests ride in a boat as faithful celebrate Timket, the Ethiopian Epiphany, on lake Dembel, in Batu, Ethiopia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Amanuel Sileshi)
In the capital, Addis Ababa, many waited for the tabots, which are symbols of the Ark of the Covenant meant to contain the 10 commandments and are used to consecrate churches. Tabots were ritually carried to nearby public spaces for overnight prayers before being returned to their home churches the next day, surrounded by millions of the faithful in spectacular displays of reverence.
Similar celebrations were held across the country, including inside the 17th century Fasilides Fortress in Gondar, located in the war-torn Amhara region.
Timkat is seen by the faithful as an important religious holiday, nearly as significant as Easter and Christmas. It was inscribed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019.
“We are celebrating the baptism of Jesus Christ, and our hearts are filled with joy,” said Bereket Adugna, 43, who traveled from Addis Ababa with his wife and two children to Batu.
Thousands took part in ceremonies where the tabots were escorted by priests dressed in colorful robes while carrying ceremonial umbrellas from churches to the lakeshores or rives amid chants and hymns.
“For us Ethiopians, Epiphany is an opportunity to share what we have with those who need our help,” said Asnake Dechasa, a deacon, speaking to The Associated Press.
This comes at a challenging time for Ethiopia, as tensions have escalated with neighboring Eritrea and famine continues to worsen. Humanitarian organizations warn that millions of Ethiopians need emergency food aid, amid declining humanitarian support from Western nations.
Holy water is sprayed on Ethiopian Orthodox worshippers, during the celebration of the Ethiopian Epiphany on lake Dembel, in Batu, Ethiopia, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Amanuel Sileshi)
High priests celebrate Timket, the Ethiopian Epiphany, on the shore of lake Dembel, in Batu, Ethiopia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Amanuel Sileshi)
An Ethiopian orthodox believer jumps from a boat as faithful celebrate Timket, the Ethiopian Epiphany, on lake Dembel, in Batu, Ethiopia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Amanuel Sileshi)
Ethiopian orthodox believers ride boats to celebrate Timket, the Ethiopian Epiphany, on lake Dembel, in Batu, Ethiopia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Amanuel Sileshi)
High priests ride in a boat as faithful celebrate Timket, the Ethiopian Epiphany, on lake Dembel, in Batu, Ethiopia, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Amanuel Sileshi)
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) — An attacker armed with a rifle was fatally shot after ramming his vehicle into one of the nation’s largest Reform synagogues Thursday in what federal investigators called an act of violence targeting the Jewish community.
Jennifer Runyan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, called the incident “deeply disturbing and tragic” and said that the FBI is leading the investigation.
The agency considers the crime a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community,” she said at a news conference Thursday. Investigators have not determined a motive yet.
“What drove this person into action has to be determined by the investigation,” said Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.
The vehicle caught fire after crashing into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, just outside Detroit, and driving through a hallway as security opened fire, authorities said.
None of the synagogue’s staff, teachers or the 140 children at its early childhood center were injured, Bouchard said.
“He was traveling with purpose down the hall, from my look at the video,” Bouchard said.
In the minutes after the attack, smoke billowed from the synagogue. One security officer was hit by the vehicle and knocked unconscious but did not suffer life-threatening injuries, the sheriff said. And 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation.
West Bloomfield Police Chief Dale Young said Temple security officers “engaged the individual and neutralized the threat.”
The suspect was found dead inside his vehicle, Bouchard said.
Bouchard credited preparation and training for the swift response to the threat, saying that he had contacted the head of security for the temple just two days before the attack.
Rabbi Arianna Gordon, from Temple Israel, thanked the security team, law enforcement and early childhood teachers for getting the children out safely and reunited with their parents, calling them the “true rock stars of the day.”
About a dozen parents sprinted to get their children soon after authorities cleared the building. Other families were reunited at a nearby Jewish Community Center.
Allison Jacobs, whose 18-month-old daughter is enrolled in Temple Israel’s day care, said she got a message from a teacher saying the children were OK even before she knew what happened.
“There are no words. I was in complete and utter shock,” she told the AP. “I was hoping that it was a false report.”
Jacobs, whose family is Jewish, said she tries not to think about all that’s going on in the world.
“You never think that this is actually going to happen to you,” she said. “But I know that it’s — it’s just terrible. This morning I was mourning the loss of the school that got hit in Iran.”
Synagogues around the world have been on edge and have been ramping up security since the U.S. and Israel launched a war with Iran with missile strikes on Feb. 28.
The FBI has warned that Iranian operatives may be planning drone attacks on targets in California. Two men brought explosives to a far-right protest outside the New York mayoral mansion on Saturday. Investigators allege they were inspired by the Islamic State extremist group.
And an assailant drove a car into people outside an Orthodox synagogue in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. He stabbed two people to death before officers shot and killed him.
President Donald Trump said he had been fully briefed on the attack, calling it a “terrible thing.”
Steven Ingber, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, lamented the fact that his organization had to train and prepare for an attack.
“I’d love to say that I’m shocked, that I’m surprised, but I’m not,” he said during a news conference Thursday.
He added: “This will not change us. This will not deter us and we will continue.”
Oakland County is Michigan’s second-largest county with roughly 1.3 million people. The majority of Detroit-area Jewish residents live there.
“This is heartbreaking,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement. “Michigan’s Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace.”
It was the second attack at a house of worship in Michigan within the past year. Last September, a former Marine fatally shot four people at a church north of Detroit and set it ablaze. The FBI later said he was motivated by “anti-religious beliefs” against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Temple Israel has 12,000 members, according to its website, which says the synagogue is “passionate about helping Jewish communities across the globe” and that its mission is to “create a community building through the lens of Reform Judaism.”
The Jewish Federation of Detroit briefly advised all Jewish organizations in the area to lock down.
Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, a survivor of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, said in a statement that the Michigan attack demonstrates yet again the consequences of hatred.
“We lose our humanity when we seek violent means as a solution,” said Myers, rabbi of the Tree of Life Congregation, where 11 worshippers died in the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. “No one should dwell in fear because of who they are.”
This story has been corrected to show that the shooting at a church north of Detroit happened in September, not October.
Durkin Richer reported from Washington, D.C. Associated Press reporters Ed White in Detroit; Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin; John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio; and Eric Tucker in Washington, D.C., contributed.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard speaks to media as police respond to scene of a shooting at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich., on Thursday, March 12 2026. (Jacob Hamilton /Ann Arbor News via AP)
Law enforcement escort families with children away from the Temple Israel synagogue Thursday, March 12, 2026, in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Police respond to scene of a shooting at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich., on Thursday, March 12 2026. (Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Law enforcement respond to a call at Temple Israel synagogue Thursday, March 12, 2026, in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Law enforcement respond to a call at Temple Israel synagogue Thursday, March 12, 2026, in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Law enforcement respond to a call at Temple Israel synagogue Thursday, March 12, 2026, in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
A woman gathers children as law enforcement respond to a call at Temple Israel synagogue on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)
Law enforcement respond to a call at Temple Israel synagogue on Thursday, March 12, 2026, in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)
Law enforcement respond to a call at Temple Israel synagogue, Thursday, March 12, 2026 in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)
Law enforcement respond to a call at Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)
People gather near Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)
