DETROIT, Michigan — Federal investigators are continuing to examine last week’s attack on a synagogue near Detroit after Israel’s military claimed the attacker’s brother was a Hezbollah commander killed in a recent airstrike in Lebanon.
Authorities say Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, drove a vehicle into Temple Israel outside Detroit before exchanging gunfire with a security guard and later taking his own life. The FBI described the incident as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community but said investigators have not yet formally classified the attack as terrorism.
According to the Israeli military, Ghazali’s brother, Ibrahim Ghazali, was killed March 5 in Lebanon during an airstrike that also killed three other family members. Israel alleges Ibrahim Ghazali served as a Hezbollah commander responsible for managing weapons used in rocket attacks against Israel, though The Associated Press reported the claim has not been independently verified.
Investigators say the Michigan attacker had waited outside the synagogue for about two hours before crashing into the building while armed with a rifle, fireworks, and containers believed to hold gasoline. Security measures at the synagogue prevented casualties among the dozens of children and staff inside the building.
Officials say Ghazali immigrated to the United States in 2011 and became a U.S. citizen in 2016. He lived in Dearborn Heights, roughly 38 miles from the synagogue.
The FBI’s Detroit field office continues to lead the investigation into the attack.
Sources
• Associated Press – MBFC Rating
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