Michigan synagogue attacker was inspired by Hezbollah, sought to kill as many Jewish people as possible: feds

Federal investigators said Monday that the man who crashed his pickup into a Michigan synagogue earlier this month was inspired and radicalized by Iran‑backed terrorist group Hezbollah and reportedly sought to kill as many Jewish people as he could. 

Officials noted that Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, who attempted to launch a full-scale, mass-casualty assault on March 12, deliberately targeted a location filled with more than 100 children in West Bloomfield before he was fatally shot by officers. Local officials previously reported that the assault came after several of his family members were killed in Lebanon during the country’s war with Israel.

In the days leading up to the attack, Ghazali allegedly rigged his truck with booby traps, fireworks, explosives, and large amounts of gasoline. Just before ramming the building, he reportedly sat in the Temple Israel parking lot and sent videos to his sister in Lebanon — some showing him holding a weapon while listening to upbeat militant battle anthems.

“This is the largest gathering of Israelis in the state of Michigan in the United States. I have booby trapped the car. I will forcibly enter and start shooting them. God willing, I will kill as many of them as I possibly can,” he said in one of the videos, according to the FBI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyon. 

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James Gorgon, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, added that had the attacker survived, he would have been charged with providing “material support” to Hezbollah for effectively providing himself as the weapon aimed at Michigan’s largest Jewish temple.

According to investigators, Ghazali reportedly consumed pro-Hezbollah and Iranian militant propaganda for months leading up to the attack, ultimately planning what he called a “special operation” aimed at causing mass casualties.

He allegedly created a Facebook album titled “Vengeance,” filled with images of Hezbollah leaders and militant quotes, and also sent his sister a photo of an Israeli flag covered up with yellow paint, a color often used to represent loyalty and sacrifice to Hezbollah. 

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“You killed the Ali and Hussein of our time. We will avenge their blood,” one of his Facebook status posts said hours before the attack, referencing the overseas deaths of his family members.

“We will seek retribution for their sacred blood,” another post said. “Israel is a cancerous, malignant growth. Israel is pure evil and the oppressors will soon know what kind of end they will meet.”

Within three days prior to the attack, Ghazali researched local synagogues, targeting what he called “the largest gathering of Israelis in Michigan,” according to the officials. He reportedly purchased an AR-style rifle, 300 rounds of ammunition, and more than $2,200 worth of fireworks.

He filled collapsible containers with roughly 35 gallons of gasoline across multiple trips to use as an explosive accelerant in his truck, adding fireworks to booby-trap the vehicle before ramming it into the synagogue.

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Officials added that just minutes before launching the attack, Ghazali sat in the Temple Israel parking lot and sent his sister in Lebanon 19 videos, photos and messages affirming his commitment to a mass terrorist plan.

During the attack, the suspect ultimately exchanged gunfire with synagogue security and ignited the explosives inside his vehicle after ramming into the temple doors at a high speed. 

While the assailant acted alone, officials emphasized that he methodically followed Hezbollah’s propaganda directives to carry out the violence.

“I’ve seen some odd attempts to explain away or even lessen this terrorist attack by claiming that he was an isolated lone wolf, but that is misleading,” Gorgon said. “Terrorist propaganda is designed to activate the so-called lone wolf to act on behalf of the terrorist organization.”

“I am convinced that my office would prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed the federal crime of providing material support to Hezbollah,” he added. 

Officials noted that the attacker was not on any terrorist watch list and had never been the subject of an FBI investigation before the attack.

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No evidence of co-conspirators or ongoing threats were found, investigators said. 

“We stand firmly with our Jewish community. We remain unwavering in our commitment to protect them and all members of our community, from those who seek to do harm,” West Bloomfield Police Chief Dale Young said.