Michigan synagogue attack was ‘Hezbollah-inspired terror plot against Jews’
Officials say gunman planned mass shooting at largest synagogue in state with children inside
US federal investigators have concluded that a man who rammed a vehicle into a synagogue in Michigan earlier this month carried out a “Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism” deliberately targeting the Jewish community.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the suspect, Ayman Muhammad Ghazali, selected Temple Israel in West Bloomfield – the largest synagogue in the state – with the intention of inflicting mass casualties.
Dozens of children were inside the building at the time of the attack on 12 March.
Officials said Ghazali, a naturalised US citizen originally from Lebanon, drove his truck into the synagogue entrance before exchanging gunfire with security personnel. He later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene. A security guard was injured, while several officers were treated for smoke inhalation.
At a press briefing, FBI Special Agent Jennifer Runyan said evidence showed the suspect had been “inspired by Hezbollah’s militant ideology” and had “purposely targeted the Jewish community”.
Investigators recovered extensive online activity indicating radicalisation in the months leading up to the attack, including searches for pro-Hezbollah content, weapons-related material and information about Jewish and Israeli gatherings in Michigan.
Authorities also said Ghazali had viewed coverage relating to Naim Qassem, a senior figure in the Iran-backed group, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the US and UK.
In the days before the attack, he purchased an AR-style rifle, multiple magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, along with flammable materials including gasoline and fireworks.
According to investigators, Ghazali sent messages and videos to family members shortly before carrying out the attack, stating his intention to enter the synagogue and kill as many people as possible. In one recording, he claimed to have rigged his vehicle.
He attempted to ram the building twice before opening fire, and later ignited materials inside the vehicle, causing a blaze that filled the synagogue entrance with smoke.
Officials confirmed there is no evidence of accomplices, and that Ghazali had not previously appeared on law enforcement watchlists or been the subject of prior investigations.
Jerome Gorgon, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said that had the suspect survived, he would have faced charges including providing material support to Hezbollah.
In the days following the incident, the IDF claimed that Ghazali’s brother had been a Hezbollah commander killed in a recent airstrike, although this has not been independently verified.
The attack has intensified concerns among Jewish communities in the United States about the threat of ideologically driven violence targeting synagogues, particularly amid heightened global tensions involving Iran and its regional proxies.
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