Photo: JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP / Getty Images
Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, the suspect in the recent attack on a synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, lost several family members in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon earlier this month, according to local officials. The 41-year-old, who was born in Lebanon and became a U.S. citizen in 2016, drove a vehicle loaded with explosives into Temple Israel, resulting in a fire that required 30 first responders to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Ghazali, a resident of Dearborn Heights, was killed at the scene after security officers engaged him. The attack, which the FBI described as a "targeted act of violence against the Jewish community," occurred on Thursday (March 12). Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun confirmed that Ghazali's family, including his brothers Kassim and Ibrahim, and Ibrahim's children, Ali and Fatima, died in the airstrike. The attack also injured Ghazali's parents and the wives of his brothers.
Ghazali had been living in the U.S. since 2011, having arrived on an immigrant visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen. His wife filed for divorce in 2024, finalizing it in 2025.
The incident has heightened security concerns in the area, with Michigan law enforcement on high alert following multiple attacks on religious sites in the past year. West Bloomfield Police Chief Dale Young stated that the synagogue's security measures helped prevent further casualties.
Ghazali's actions are being investigated by federal authorities as a hate crime.