A 41-year-old man rammed his truck, loaded with thousands of pounds of fireworks and gasoline, into a Michigan synagogue before taking his own life, federal investigators have confirmed.
Details of the Attack
The incident targeted Temple Israel, the largest Reform synagogue in the U.S., located in West Bloomfield Township. Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, originally from Lebanon and a resident of Dearborn Heights, drove a gray Ford F-150 truck to the site. He remained parked outside for more than two hours before accelerating through Door 5 in the southeast corner of the building, igniting a fire.
The vehicle lodged in a corridor, trapping Ghazali inside. Two security guards confronted him, after which he fatally shot himself. No staff members or children among the 140 people inside sustained injuries. One security guard was struck by the truck, and dozens of first responders received treatment for smoke inhalation, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard reported.
FBI Investigation Findings
Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, stated that agents found a large quantity of commercial fireworks—valued at around $2,500 from a metro Detroit shop—and gasoline in the truck while searching for potential improvised explosive devices. Authorities classify the event as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community, though no motive has been officially released.
Attacker’s Background and Family Ties
Ghazali immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon in 2011 and became a naturalized citizen in 2016. The father of several children had no prior criminal record, no registered firearms, and no connections to previous FBI probes.
A local official in Mashgharah, Lebanon, confirmed that two of Ghazali’s brothers and his niece and nephew—Ali and Fatima—died in an Israeli airstrike on their home shortly after sunset during Ramadan. Lebanese officials noted that the brothers, Ibrahim and Qassem, were Hezbollah members killed in recent strikes.
The Islamic Institute of America, a major mosque in Dearborn Heights, held a memorial service for the family members lost in Lebanon, a mosque secretary confirmed.
