Statistically, attending a weekly worship service is a remarkably safe thing to do. Global annual attendance totals many billions; the number of people killed in attacks on individual houses of worship in any given year is generally less than a few hundred. Killings in the U.S. are even more rare.
But an attack on Monday targeting a mosque in San Diego — the latest in a spate of recent attacks targeting religious buildings — has intensified fear among clergy and worshippers.
Here are some of the notable attacks on U.S. houses of worship in the past 15 years:
May 18, 2026: Two teenage suspects opened fire at the largest mosque in San Diego County on Monday, killing a security guard and two other men before killing themselves, authorities said. The case is being investigated as a hate crime.
March 12, 2026: An armed man crashed his pickup truck into the Temple Israel synagogue in the Detroit area and then killed himself while exchanging gunfire with security. The 41-year-old shooter had just lost four members of his family in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. Israeli authorities said some of his family were members of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Sept. 29, 2025: Four people were killed and nine more wounded when a man in Michigan drove his pickup truck into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township and set its chapel on fire. The 40-year-old gunman was killed by law enforcement responders. The FBI said he had “anti-religious beliefs against the Mormon religious community.”
Aug. 27, 2025: Two children were killed and several others injured in a shooting during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis. The shooter, who authorities say died of a self-inflicted gunshot, was a former student at the parish’s school.
Oct. 27, 2018: Eleven Jews attending services at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh were fatally shot by a white supremacist with a history of antisemitism. The gunman faces execution after his conviction on multiple federal charges.
Nov. 5, 2017: A family feud is believed to have prompted the deadliest mass shooting in modern Texas history. Twenty-five people, including a pregnant woman, were killed at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.
June 17, 2015: A young man participated in a Bible study session at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and then killed nine people. The victims included the senior pastor, Clementa Pinckney. The avowed white supremacist awaits execution as the first person in the U.S. sentenced to death for a federal hate crime.
Aug. 5, 2012: Six people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in the town of Oak Creek died shortly after being shot by a 41-year-old white supremacist who had discussed a racial holy war. One of the injured victims died in 2020 from his head wound, becoming the seventh fatality.
Police stage at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Dennis Reinbold and Larry Foyt, the key decision-makers for the drivers penalized by IndyCar for violating league rules during Indianapolis 500 qualifying, issued statements Monday saying the teams did not intend to give Jack Harvey or Caio Collet a competitive advantage.
Harvey and Collet each had their qualifying attempts disallowed and will now start next weekend's sold-out race from the final two spots on the 33-car grid.
Defending race winner Alex Palou won the pole and will try to become the seventh driver with back-to-back 500 victories.
“I don’t want to say that we bounced back from yesterday with all of the usual stuff we had on Sunday,” Harvey said after posting the seventh-fastest lap, 224.287 mph, in Monday's abbreviated practice session. “It is what it is. No crying about it. The important thing is how we respond. That determines what we can achieve on race day.”
The scheduled two-hour practice was cut short, first, by a crash involving 2016 Indy winner Alexander Rossi and later by rain. Four cars were damaged in the first crash this month on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval, with three of those among the top eight starting spots in the 33-car field. Rossi was awake and alert but was taken to a hospital for further evaluation.
It's the second straight year Indianapolis has been rocked by a cheating scandal. Last year, then-two-time defending champ Josef Newgarden and 2018 race winner Will Power were sent to the back of the field after they were found to have an illegally modified spec part on their cars during 500 qualifications. Roger Penske then made leadership changes at Team Penske.
The violations were found Sunday night during a post-qualifying technical inspection. Series officials determined the two cars made unapproved changes to their energy management systems and used unapproved hardware in the mounting process. All teams are required to use the equipment in the exact manner they receive it.
“Dreyer & Reinbold Racing did not intend to achieve a performance gain through the use of unapproved hardware,” Reinbold said. “The integrity of the sport is of the highest priority and utmost importance to Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, our sponsors, partners and personnel. We apologize to (primary sponsor) Invst, Jack Harvey, our valued sponsor partners and fully accept the penalties set forth by the IndyCar Series.”
Harvey and Conor Daly are driving for DRR in the one IndyCar race the team runs each year. Daly qualified eighth and was not found to have broken any rules.
Harvey usually works on the Fox Sports telecasts of IndyCar races, but is again taking a brief hiatus this month to compete in his ninth Indianapolis 500. The English driver’s best 500 result came in 2020 when he started 20th and finished ninth.
Larry Foyt, president of A.J. Foyt Enterprises, called the violation a “mistake.”
Collet was moved from the No. 10 starting spot to No. 32. He was the fastest rookie qualifier, with a four-lap qualifying average of 230.539 mph.
Foyt's other full-time driver, Santino Ferrucci, and the team’s newest hire, Katherine Legge, who is running for HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing, were not found to have violated the rules.
Ferrucci qualified fifth while Legge completed the first part of her quest to become the first woman to attempt racing's “double.” She'll start 26th, but must still qualify for next weekend's Coca-Cola 600 next weekend to have a chance at completing the 1,100-mile marathon in the same day.
“There was a miscommunication issue which resulted in a technical infraction on the No. 4 car. It was a costly mistake on our part, and not intended for a performance gain," Foyt said. "I feel terrible for Caio who put forth such a great effort in qualifying to become the fastest rookie. He is a talented young driver and I have no doubt he’ll come through the field. This is a setback, but drivers and teams don’t make it to this level without facing challenges and overcoming them. I have full confidence in Caio and our team to do the same on race day.”
Collet also lost the three points he received for making Sunday’s 12-car pole shootout. Those will be split between 2008 Indy winner Scott Dixon and Rinus Veekay.
Harvey and Collet also will lose their pit positions and will be the last teams to select their new pit locations.
Both drivers participated in Monday's practice session and were expected to be back on the track Friday for the final practice before next weekend's race.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
FILE - Jack Harvey, of the United Kingdom, waits for his turn during qualification for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
Caio Collet drives through the third turn during qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
