Authorities have identified the man who carried out an attack at a synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, as 41-year-old Ayman Muhamad Ghazali, whose brother served as a commander in the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Ghazali died Thursday after crashing a truck into Temple Israel and later shooting himself during the incident.
The synagogue, located in West Bloomfield Township in Oakland County, is one of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in the United States and includes both a school and an early childcare center on its campus.
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The attack unfolded after Ghazali drove his vehicle into the building before a confrontation with a security guard.
According to federal investigators, he exchanged gunfire with the guard before turning the weapon on himself.
No one else was injured during the incident.
Federal authorities later confirmed that Ghazali had traveled roughly 38 miles from his home in Dearborn Heights to reach the synagogue before the attack.
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The FBI said Ghazali drove the truck into the structure while carrying materials that included fireworks and gasoline.
After the crash, he encountered an armed security guard and gunfire was exchanged between the two men. Officials said the suspect then shot himself.
In the days following the attack, additional details emerged about Ghazali’s family connections overseas.
The Israeli Defense Forces released a statement Sunday identifying one of Ghazali’s brothers as a senior figure within Hezbollah.
According to the Israeli military, Ghazali’s brother, Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali, held a leadership role in the militant organization and was involved in directing weapons operations.
“Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali was responsible for managing weapons operations within a specialized branch of the Badr Unit.
The unit is responsible for launching hundreds of rockets toward Israeli civilians throughout the war,” the IDF said.
“His brother, Ayman Muhammad Ghazali, carried out the terror attack in Michigan this past Thursday. Ibrahim was eliminated in an IAF strike on a Hezbollah military structure last week.”
The Israeli military statement also indicated that Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali had been killed in an Israeli Air Force strike targeting a Hezbollah military facility in Lebanon in the days before the synagogue attack.
Reports that surfaced following the incident indicated that other members of the Ghazali family were also killed in the same strike.
According to those reports, several relatives had gathered for a Ramadan fast-breaking meal when the airstrike occurred.
The strike reportedly killed two of Ghazali’s brothers along with a niece and a nephew.
Authorities said Ayman Muhamad Ghazali was an American citizen who had immigrated to the United States more than a decade ago.
Immigration records show that he entered the country in 2011 as the spouse of a U.S. citizen.
He later obtained U.S. citizenship in 2016.
Investigators said Ghazali lived in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, a city located west of Detroit that has a significant Muslim population.
Officials said he left that residence and drove approximately 38 miles to the synagogue in West Bloomfield Township on the day of the attack.
Temple Israel, the location targeted in the incident, serves a large Reform Jewish community and operates multiple educational programs for children and families, including a school and an early childcare center housed within the facility.
Law enforcement officials confirmed that no worshippers, staff members, or children were injured during the incident.
The armed security guard present at the synagogue confronted Ghazali after the crash and exchanged gunfire with him before the suspect took his own life.
Federal investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the attack, including Ghazali’s background and any potential connections to overseas organizations or events that may have influenced his actions.
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