A suspect is dead after ramming a truck into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, on Thursday afternoon, in what the FBI described as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community. No victims were killed inside the synagogue, officials said.
Background
Around 1:35 p.m. Thursday, police responded to reports of shots fired in the area of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, a suburb northwest of Detroit, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. A man drove through the doors of the building and down a hallway, and security engaged the suspect with gunfire. Law enforcement sources told CBS News the suspect exited the vehicle with a rifle and was confronted and killed by synagogue security. Bouchard said the suspect was found dead in the vehicle, though he could not specify if he was killed by security. It was not immediately clear if the suspect fired any shots.
According to Secure Community Network, which provides security for Jewish institutions across the country, there were two suspects in the vehicle, although Bouchard said it appeared there was only one. Two law enforcement sources told CBS News there were mortar-type explosives in the vehicle, which caught fire when it rammed into the building.
Temple Israel is the largest Reform synagogue in the United States, according to its website. The facility also houses a school that includes an early childhood center and kindergarten. The synagogue said there were 140 students at the center on Thursday and that they and all teachers and staff were safe and accounted for.
The Investigation
In a statement provided to CBS News on Thursday night, the Department of Homeland Security identified the suspect as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a Lebanese-born U.S. citizen. According to DHS, Ghazali came to the U.S. legally in May 2011 on a sponsorship from his American spouse and became a U.S. citizen himself in 2016. He entered the U.S. through Detroit Metropolitan International Airport on an IR1 immigrant visa for a spouse of a U.S. citizen.
A source in Michigan's Lebanese American community told CBS News that an airstrike roughly 10 days prior on the Lebanese village of the suspect's family killed several of his family members, leaving him devastated. The source said Ghazali was a resident of Dearborn Heights and previously worked at a restaurant in the area. The source said the airstrike killed two of Ghazali's brothers and two of their children, and left one of his sisters-in-law severely injured and hospitalized.
Ghazali was devastated by the loss and had stopped working, spending time alone at home, the source said. He lived by himself and was divorced, though his children live with their mother in the U.S. Shortly before Thursday's attack, Ghazali called his ex-wife and told her to take care of their children, which alarmed her. She contacted police and relatives to check on him.
The vehicle used in the attack is registered under the name of a man who lived in the Dearborn area. The FBI is leading the investigation. Authorities did not immediately identify a motive, and the suspect's body had been badly burned, complicating identification.
Key Takeaways
- The FBI is investigating the incident as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community
- One security personnel member was taken to an area hospital for treatment and is expected to recover
- 30 law enforcement officers were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation from the vehicle fire
- Two law enforcement sources said mortar-type explosives were found in the vehicle
- The suspect, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, was a Lebanese-born U.S. citizen who came to the U.S. in 2011 and became a citizen in 2016
- A source said Ghazali lost two brothers and their children in an airstrike in Lebanon roughly 10 days prior
What's Next
The FBI is leading the investigation into the attack. Authorities have not yet identified a motive, and investigators are working to determine what led Ghazali to target the synagogue. The FBI is also examining the vehicle registration and any potential connections between the suspect and others who may have been involved.
Bloomfield police said around 3:30 p.m. that the area has been secured and there are no active threats to the community.