Synagogue Attacker's Relatives Recently Killed in Lebanon Strike: Sources

The man suspected of driving a truck into a suburban Detroit synagogue and opening fire had lost multiple relatives in a recent airstrike in Lebanon, according to two sources briefed on the probe who spoke to the Detroit News. The sources identified 41-year-old restaurant worker Ayman Ghazali of Dearborn Heights as the assailant who crashed his vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township just after noon Thursday, then exchanged gunfire with security, and WION reports the Department of Homeland Security later confirmed Ghazali, a naturalized US citizen born in Lebanon, as the attacker. Ghazali was fatally shot; a synagogue security guard was wounded and hospitalized. Roughly 140 children, staff, and congregants were nearby but unharmed, temple officials said.

Sources say at least four of Ghazali's family members, including a sibling, were killed days earlier in a military strike in Lebanon. Israel has been conducting repeated air raids there, and Lebanese officials estimate hundreds of deaths amid broader regional conflict involving Hezbollah, Israel, the US, and Iran. Investigators were expected to search Ghazali's Dearborn Heights home, about 25 miles from the synagogue. He came to the US in 2011 on a sponsorship from his American spouse, and became a citizen in 2016, CBS News reports.

The incident drew a large police response across Oakland County, with SWAT teams, helicopters, and federal agents from the FBI and ATF on scene. Nearby schools and houses of worship went into secure mode as a precaution. Dearborn Heights officials said they are closely tracking the investigation but declined further comment, citing its active status. The attack comes amid ongoing concern over threats to Jewish institutions and follows other recent incidents targeting religious sites in Michigan.