A man armed with a rifle drove a vehicle into a synagogue in Michigan before being shot dead by security personnel in what US authorities say was a violent attack targeting the Jewish community.
The man, identified as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, rammed his vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, one of the largest reform synagogues in the United States. Security personnel at the site shot and killed him after the crash, authorities said.
Police later said the suspect had recently lost four family members in an Israeli airstrike in his hometown in Lebanon, news agency AP reported.
The investigation is being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which described the incident as an act of violence directed at the Jewish community.
Authorities said Ghazali drove his vehicle into the synagogue building and continued down a hallway before the car caught fire, sending smoke through the premises. At the time of the crash, around 140 children and several staff members were inside the synagogue’s early childhood centre.
According to Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, none of the children, teachers or synagogue staff were injured in the incident. However, the crash caused panic inside the building.
One security officer was struck by the vehicle and knocked unconscious but did not suffer life-threatening injuries, officials said. In the aftermath, about 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation after responding to the fire and smoke inside the building.
Suspect moved to US in 2011, became citizen in 2016
Ghazali had moved to the United States in 2011 on an immediate relative visa as the spouse of a US citizen and later became an American citizen in 2016, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Officials also linked the man to a recent airstrike in Lebanon. Reports from Lebanese authorities said an Israeli strike in the town of Mashgharah on March 5 killed four members of his extended family.
A local official said Ghazali’s two brothers: Kassim and Ibrahim, along with Ibrahim’s children, Ali and Fatima, were killed when the strike hit their home shortly after sunset as the family gathered to break their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Ibrahim’s wife was also seriously injured and remains in hospital.
Witnesses inside the synagogue described frightening moments when the crash occurred. Cassi Cohen, a staff member at Temple Israel, said she heard a loud bang and immediately realised something was wrong. She rushed with colleagues into her office and locked the door for safety.
The crash occurred near a classroom, where children and more than 30 staff members were present at the time.
The incident comes at a time when synagogues worldwide have increased security following the outbreak of war between the United States, Israel and Iran after missile strikes began on February 28.
US President Donald Trump said he had been fully briefed on the attack, calling it a “terrible thing”.
The attack also marks the second violent assault on a place of worship in Michigan within the past year.
(With inputs from AP)
