FBI says Michigan synagogue shooter Ayman Mohammad Ghazali was inspired by Iran-backed Hezbollah
The FBI said Monday that a man who rammed his pickup truck into a Detroit-area synagogue earlier this month carried out an attack inspired by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, The Associated Press reported.Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, of Dearborn Heights, made a video before the attack on Temple Israel saying he wanted to “kill as many of them as possible,” Detroit FBI Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan said.“We assess this attack was an act of terrorism instigated by Hezbollah and deliberately targeted the Jewish community and the largest Jewish temple in Michigan,” she added. “Evidence shows that the attackers were motivated and inspired by Hezbollah’s radical ideology.”Ansari is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Mashgara in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Israeli military officials confirmed that his two adult brothers, as well as his niece and nephew, were killed in Israeli air strikes in Lebanon. His family included a brother, Ibrahim Ghazali, a Hezbollah commander.
Attack on the Israelite Temple
On March 12, Ansari sat in the synagogue parking lot for several hours before ramming his Ford F-150 through a closed door into the hallway of the early childhood education area, striking a security guard. The vehicle, which reportedly contained commercial-grade fireworks and gasoline cans, caught fire during an exchange of gunfire with security personnel. Ansari eventually shot himself during the conflict.Emergency crews quickly cleared the building and the approximately 150 children and staff present were uninjured. Authorities later searched Ansari’s home and examined his digital activity, noting that he had shared photos of children killed in Israeli airstrikes before the attack.Temple Israel, part of Reform Judaism, is the largest branch in North America and the second largest denomination in the sect, with more than 12,000 members. The synagogue, founded in Detroit in 1941 and moved to West Bloomfield in the 1980s, emphasizes progressive values such as social justice and gender equality.Following the incident, Jewish institutions across Michigan increased security to prevent further attacks.
