The man suspected of ramming his van into a synagogue in Michigan on Thursday had recently lost several family members in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, allegedly crashed his truck—packed with explosives and mortar shells—into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, a synagogue that also houses a preschool, sparking a fire.
A security officer was hit by the vehicle during the incident and had to be rushed to the hospital later. The attacker, who then randomly opened fire, was then shot and killed by a guard at the synagogue at around 12:20 p.m. The van later caught fire, leaving the suspect's body badly burned.
Face of Terrorism
It has since been revealed that Ghazali was a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon who worked at a restaurant in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn Heights. The suburb's mayor, Mo Baydoun, said Ghazali had "lost several members of his own family, including his niece and nephew, in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon."
An unnamed source told CBS News that the Israeli strike took place about 10 days back and also killed two of Ghazali's brothers.
The strikes came after the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, which triggered renewed attacks on Israel by Hezbollah.
The same CBS source said Ghazali's ex-wife claimed he called her shortly before the attack and asked her to take care of their children.
Authorities said the suspect's body was found inside the vehicle, and he was armed with a rifle. "He breached the building, drove down the hall, and he was engaged by security," Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said of the armed attacker at a news conference.
Ghazali was born in Lebanon in 1985 and arrived in the United States through Detroit Metropolitan International Airport on May 10, 2011, according to the New York Post. He entered the country after alien relative and fiancé petitions filed in December 2009 were approved in April 2010.
The report added that he later applied for naturalization on October 20, 2015, and became a U.S. citizen on February 5, 2016, during the Barack Obama administration.
Federal authorities said during a news conference that they are investigating the incident as a "targeted act of violence" against the Jewish community.
Targeted Act of Violence
No students or staff were hurt in the attack, though a security guard was taken to the hospital after being struck by the vehicle. Officials said he is expected to recover. Mike Bouchard, the sheriff of Oakland County, Michigan, also said that 30 law enforcement officers were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment after suffering smoke inhalation during the response.
"When all of our people collectively went in that building to search out the threat, to remove innocent, a lot of them took in significant amount of smoke inhalation, and they're at the hospital being treated," Bouchard said.
The synagogue soon became engulfed in flames following the incident. Authorities said they received a call reporting an active shooter at about 12:19 p.m., and officers from the West Bloomfield Police Department arrived at the scene within five minutes.
Photos shared online showed a heavy police presence outside the building, with smoke billowing from the windows and a vent on the roof.
Dozens of law enforcement vehicles from neighboring departments also rushed to the location, along with a SWAT team, bomb technicians and bomb-sniffing dogs as authorities worked to secure the area.
The synagogue, Temple Israel, is a Reform Jewish place of worship that was open when the attack occurred and is known for having one of the largest congregations in the country.
A woman identified as Lisa told WDIV that the preschool was operating at the time.
She told the outlet: "I'm scared to death for my friends, I've never seen anything like this. My first thought was the children.
"Parents are grandparents are coming and they're scared to death for their children. This is senseless, this is not okay."
As she spoke, several adults standing near the police line could be seen hugging each other and crying.
West Bloomfield School District said: "We have been alerted by the West Bloomfield Police Department of a police situation in the community."
The Jewish Federation of Detroit said: "We are aware of an active security incident at Temple Israel. Law enforcement are responding.
"Our Jewish agencies are currently in precautionary lockdown We ask community members to stay away from the area at this time."
