Ayman Mohamed Ghazali, 41, the man who rammed his car into one of America’s largest synagogues and opened fire, had reportedly recently lost several family members — including two young relatives — in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon.
A man rammed a vehicle into one of the largest synagogues in the United States and opened fire, triggering a major federal investigation.
The attack happened around 12:19 p.m. on March 12, 2026 at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, about 28 miles northwest of Detroit.
Police say the suspect intentionally drove his vehicle into the synagogue building before gunfire erupted. Armed security at the synagogue returned fire and killed the attacker at the scene.
The suspect was later identified as Ayman Mohamed Ghazali, 41, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon.
Authorities say Ghazali first entered the United States in 2011 on an IR1 immigrant visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen and became a naturalized American citizen in 2016.
Temple Israel is considered one of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in the United States, with roughly 12,000 members and a preschool on campus.
Investigators later discovered suspected explosive materials inside the suspect’s vehicle, forcing bomb technicians and federal agents to secure the area.
One security guard was struck by the vehicle and hospitalized, but officials say no children or staff at the school were injured.
At least 30 first responders were later treated for smoke inhalation while handling the burning vehicle and debris.
New reports suggest Ghazali may have been deeply affected by the recent deaths of several relatives in an Israeli airstrike in Mashghara, in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
Those reportedly killed included Qassem Ghazali, his brother Ibrahim Ghazali, and Ibrahim’s two children, Ali and Fatima.
Authorities have not confirmed whether that family tragedy was directly connected to the synagogue attack.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is now investigating the incident to determine whether it was domestic terrorism or a targeted hate crime against the Jewish community.
And investigators are still trying to understand what truly led to the violence that unfolded that afternoon.
