Authorities have identified the man behind Thursday’s attack at Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali. The US Department of Homeland Security confirmed his identity and shared details about his immigration background, according to a report by Fox News.
Federal authorities said the attacker drove a vehicle into Temple Israel, one of the largest Reform Jewish synagogues in the United States, located in suburban Detroit. He was armed with a rifle.
Who was Ayman Ghazali? Man identified in Michigan synagogue attack
According to FBI officials, Ghazali was born in Lebanon on January 4, 1985. He came to the United States on May 10, 2011, arriving at Detroit Metropolitan International Airport on an IR1 immigrant visa. The visa was issued because he was married to a US citizen. Government records show that alien relative and fiancé petitions filed in December 2009 were approved in April 2010, clearing the way for his move to the US.
After living in the country for several years, Ghazali applied for US citizenship on October 20, 2015. He was granted citizenship on February 5, 2016, during the Obama administration. Officials also said he had been living in the Dearborn area in Michigan.
In a statement, Homeland Security said, “The tragic attack on Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, was carried out by Ayman Mohamad Ghazali. He was born in Lebanon on January 4, 1985. He entered the United States on May 10, 2011, at Detroit Metropolitan International Airport on an IR1 immigrant visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen after alien relative and fiancé petitions filed in December 2009 were approved in April 2010. He applied for naturalisation on October 20, 2015 and was granted US citizenship on February 5, 2016, under the Obama administration.”
Suspect identified after Temple Israel attack
According to a report from Newsweek, Journalist Ryan Grim of Drop Site News first reported on X that Ghazali was the attacker. Grim said the suspect had been carrying a rifle and was killed during the incident.
Citing a source familiar with the investigation, Grim reported that Ghazali was originally from Lebanon and had recently lost family members in an Israeli airstrike there. The source also said Ghazali had posted images of his relatives on WhatsApp just hours before the attack.
CNN also reported that the suspect was originally from Lebanon and had recently lost family members. However, neither report publicly named the suspect at the time.
Federal investigators have not confirmed whether those events were connected to the attack. The FBI said the case is being treated as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community, though officials have not yet identified a clear motive.
What happened at the Michigan synagogue
Jennifer Runyan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, called the incident “deeply disturbing and tragic.” The FBI is leading the investigation. Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said the vehicle burst into flames after crashing into the synagogue. According to investigators, the attacker drove through a set of doors and into an interior hallway before the fire started inside the vehicle.
Video reviewed by authorities showed the man continuing down the hallway after entering the building. “He was travelling with purpose down the hall, from my look at the video,” Bouchard said.
The synagogue has multiple security officers on duty. At least one of them exchanged gunfire with the attacker before he was later found dead inside his vehicle. Authorities are still trying to determine the exact cause of his death.
“We can’t say what killed him at this point, but security did engage the suspect with gunfire,” Bouchard said, adding that the attacker may have died from other causes.
Officials said no staff members, teachers, or children were injured during the attack. About 140 children are enrolled in the synagogue’s early childhood education centre.
However, one security officer was struck by the vehicle and briefly knocked unconscious. Authorities said his injuries were not life-threatening.