- Suspect in Michigan synagogue attack identified as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali.
- Explosives were discovered in his vehicle after the attack at Temple Israel.
- Ghazali was a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon, arriving in 2011.
- Investigators are exploring Ghazali's claims about family loss from Israeli airstrikes.
- This attack follows another violent incident at a Michigan religious site six months prior.
Federal officials have identified the man who rammed his vehicle into a Michigan synagogue Thursday as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, according to Associated Press reports.
Ghazali drove through a hallway at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, where his vehicle caught fire. A security officer engaged in gunfire, and Ghazali was fatally shot by the officer.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire; responders found several explosives in the back of the vehicle, according to CNN.
The Department of Homeland Security said that Ghazali was a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Lebanon. He came to the U.S. in 2011 on an immediate relative visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen and was granted U.S. citizenship in 2016, according to The Associated Press.
Investigators have not yet determined a motive behind the attack.
“What drove this person into action has to be determined by the investigation,” said Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.
Jennifer Runyan, a special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, said the crime was a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.” She said the FBI is leading the investigation, The Associated Press reports.
Authorities are looking into reports that Ghazali told others he had family members killed amid fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to CNN.
None of the synagogue’s staff, teachers or 140 children in the building were injured and were reunited with their families, Bouchard said.
The incident marks the second attack on a Michigan religious site in the last six months. On Sept. 28, 2025, 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford drove his truck into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Grand Blanc, about 40 miles from West Bloomfield, as previously reported by Deseret News.
After he exited his truck, Sanford opened fire and set fire to the building, killing four victims before he was killed by law enforcement.
The church’s United States Northeast Area Presidency issued a statement in response to Thursday’s synagogue attack, stating that the church “stands with all people of faith who face violence because of their beliefs.”
“Having experienced a similar attack in nearby Grand Blanc, church members express their love, support and deep concern for all who are affected by today’s act of violence at a synagogue in West Bloomfield,” the statement said. “Houses of worship should be sanctuaries of peace, prayer and community. We pray for healing, comfort, and peace for all who are suffering,” as previously reported by Deseret News.