Lebanese Man Kills Family Members after Ramming a Jewish Synagogue in Michigan with Truck

SadaNews - A 41-year-old man was killed late Thursday night after crashing his truck into a Jewish synagogue in Detroit, Michigan, causing a fire and prompting a large-scale security response.

American media reported that the attacker had recently lost family members in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon during the ongoing war in the Middle East.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security stated that the suspect is Ayman Mohammed Ghazali, born in Lebanon, who came to Detroit in 2011 on a visa granted to spouses of American citizens, and became a U.S. citizen in 2016.

Oakland County Police Chief Michael Bouchard told the media that security guards shot Ghazali after he breached the doors of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.

He added at a press conference on Thursday evening that none of the synagogue's staff or children inside were harmed, but "30 law enforcement personnel were taken to the hospital due to smoke inhalation following evacuation efforts."

Jennifer Rounian, a special agent in charge of the Detroit field office of the FBI, told reporters on Thursday that the FBI will investigate the incident "as a violent act directed against the Jewish community."

The motive for the attack has not yet been determined, but it comes amid heightened security measures across the United States since the onset of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran about two weeks ago.

President Donald Trump described the attack as "appalling" and stated that "it is utterly outrageous for such things to happen."

One neighbor told the "Detroit Free Press" that Ghazali "recently lost his family in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon."

A source in the American-Lebanese community in Michigan told CBS News that the strike occurred "about 10 days ago" and "killed many of his family members, leaving him devastated."

On Thursday, there was also a shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia, which FBI Director Kash Patel said is being investigated as "an act of terrorism."

Bouchard noted that the attacker in Michigan rammed the synagogue building with his truck and then drove it into a corridor where he was engaged by security guards.

He added, "We cannot determine the cause of his death at this stage, but law enforcement engaged with the suspect by firing."

He clarified that the attacker appeared to be alone in the vehicle, noting that police dogs were searching it for explosives.

He continued, "The situation is complicated due to the fires. We have taken the utmost precautions and searched the vehicle for explosive devices or any other explosives."

He mentioned that a security guard was injured by the attacker's vehicle and is receiving treatment in the hospital.

For her part, Governor Gretchen Whitmer stated that "the Jewish community in Michigan should be able to live and practice their faith peacefully. There is no place for anti-Semitism and violence in Michigan."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said he was "shocked by the attack" and added in a post on X, "We are in contact with the Jewish community and local authorities. Anti-Semitism must not be allowed to resurface."

Bouchard explained that security agencies in Oakland County have been on high alert since the onset of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

He added, "We have been talking for two weeks about the possibility of this happening, unfortunately. Therefore, there has been no shortage of preparedness."