Ayman Mohamad Ghazali identified as suspect in Michigan synagogue attack

The man accused of breaking into a synagogue in Michigan Thursday morning has been identified as a naturalized U.S. citizen with Lebanese citizenship, according to Fox News.

It was alleged that 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali drove his truck full of explosives and mortar rounds into Temple Israel, which also serves as a kindergarten in West Bloomfield Township, causing a fire.

The attacker then opened fire and was killed by a security guard. Authorities said they later found him in the vehicle, armed with a rifle.

“He entered the building, went out into the hallway and was dealt with by security,” Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said of the gunman. ‘At this point we can’t say what killed him, but security opened fire on the suspect.’

Ghazali was born in Lebanon in 1985 and entered the United States via Detroit Metropolitan International Airport on May 10, 2011, after petitions for foreign relatives and fiancés filed in December 2009 were approved in April 2010. New York Post

He later said he applied for naturalization on October 20, 2015, and became a citizen on February 5, 2016.

The motive for the attack remains unclear, but federal officials said at a news conference they were investigating whether it was a “targeted act of violence” against the Jewish community.

While no students or staff were injured in the attack, a security guard was hospitalized after being hit by a vehicle. He is expected to recover.

Police responded to the scene within five minutes of receiving notice that the attacker was active.

The suspect was neutralized by the security guard who came to the scene.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said at the press conference that 30 law enforcement officers were taken to a local hospital due to smoke inhalation.

“When all of our employees collectively entered that building to investigate the threat and eliminate innocents, many suffered significant smoke inhalation and are receiving hospital treatment,” Bouchard said.

The synagogue went up in flames.

Authorities later said they received a call about an active shooter at the synagogue at 12:19 a.m., and West Bloomfield police arrived on the scene within five minutes.

Photos shared online showed a large police presence at the scene, smoke coming out of windows and a vent on the roof.

Many police vehicles, SWAT teams, bomb technicians and bomb search dogs from the surrounding areas also responded to the scene.

The synagogue is a Reform Jewish house of worship that was open at the time of the attack. It has one of the largest congregations in the country.

The preschool was in use at the time, a woman named Lisa told WDIV.

He told the press: ‘I’m scared to death for my friends, I’ve never seen anything like this before. The first thing that came to my mind was children.

‘Parents and grandparents come and they’re scared to death for their kids. ‘This doesn’t make sense, this isn’t right.’

Parents removed their children from the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, after a gunman entered the building in a truck on Thursday.

Families with children were removed from the scene early today.

As he spoke, several adults were seen hugging each other in tears.

Shortly after the attack, a Michigan State Police spokesperson said: ‘We are asking community members to avoid the area to allow police response. Soldiers are also increasing the number of patrols in other places of worship in the region.’

Sheriff Bouchard said law enforcement has been on high alert since the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran began nearly two weeks ago.

‘Unfortunately we have been talking about the potential of this event for two weeks,’ he said. ‘So there was no lack of preparation.

The sheriff added: ‘All Jewish facilities in the area will have an extra presence around until we resolve this issue.’

The Jewish Federation of Detroit advised all Jewish organizations in the area to ‘follow the lockout protocol, and no one should enter or leave your building.’

FBI members at the scene of the shooting in West Bloomfield, Michigan

Law enforcement responds near Temple Israel after reports of an active shooter

First responders work at the scene after a shooter drove a truck into Temple Israel synagogue

FBI Detroit conducted Active Shooter Assault Prevention and Preparedness (ASAPP) training for clergy and staff at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield in late January, nearly two months before Thursday’s attack.

“The FBI course combines lessons learned from years of investigation and uses scenario-based exercises to help participants apply the decision-making process of Run, Hide, Fight principles and take the necessary precautions to survive,” the agency wrote in a post on X.

‘We are grateful to them for accepting us. Our department has partnered with many organizations in Michigan and is committed to protecting schools, businesses, houses of worship, medical facilities, transportation centers, government facilities, other public gathering places and communities.’

Sheriff Bouchard praised Temple Israel security for their response to the active shooter.

‘I’m very proud of not only the safety on site, but also the response of all the police officers and firefighters who are here at the moment,’ he said.

‘Education certainly helped alleviate what happened here today.

‘Everything that was supposed to happen happened. ‘Security did their job and then the responders did theirs.’