FBI Identifies Hezbollah-Inspired Attack on Detroit Synagogue
The FBI has confirmed that an attack on a synagogue in the Detroit area was a “Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism” aimed specifically at the Jewish community. The incident, which occurred on March 12, involved Ayman Ghazali, a 41-year-old man from Dearborn Heights, who crashed his pickup truck into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township.
Ghazali made a video before the attack in which he expressed a desire to “kill as many of them as I possibly can,” according to Jennifer Runyan, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Detroit. She revealed this information more than two weeks after the incident, highlighting the severity of the event.
Ghazali spent several hours in the parking lot of the synagogue before driving his Ford F150 through the closed doors and into the hallway of an early childhood education area. He struck a security guard, but no other injuries were reported among the 150 children and staff present at the time.
Runyan described the attack as the “largest Jewish temple in Michigan” being targeted by a “Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism.” She cited videos and images found on Ghazali’s social media accounts, where he expressed support for vengeance and Hezbollah’s militant ideology. According to her, Ghazali had researched Michigan synagogues and Jewish cultural sites in the days leading up to the attack, eventually choosing Temple Israel. He even looked up the lunchtime schedule for the location.
Runyan noted that there was no way to determine if Ghazali knew children would be present during the attack. His vehicle was equipped with commercial-grade fireworks and containers filled with petrol. Although there was a fire in the truck’s engine, there was no explosion.
Detroit-area US Attorney Jerome Gorgon compared the attack to the 1983 bombing of US Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, by Hezbollah. “That is exactly what this terrorist did a few weeks ago in our backyard,” Gorgon said, speaking alongside Runyan.
Ghazali’s ex-wife had called police in Dearborn Heights around the time of the attack, warning that he seemed distraught and suicidal after losing several family members during an Israeli air strike in his native Lebanon. The strike occurred during the US-Israel war on Iran, which began on February 28. Israel’s military identified one of the deceased as Ibrahim Ghazali, Ayman’s brother, who was a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon. National intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard stated that Ayman Ghazali had family ties “to a Hezbollah leader.”
Founded in 1982 during Lebanon’s civil war, Hezbollah initially aimed to end Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon. While Israel withdrew by 2000, Hezbollah continues its struggle and seeks Israel’s destruction. The United States has designated Hezbollah as a terrorist group since 1997.
Hezbollah also functions as a political party in Lebanon, with lawmakers in the Lebanese parliament and representatives in most governments for decades.
Temple Israel, the target of the attack, is part of Reform Judaism, the largest branch of the religion in North America. It emphasizes progressive values such as social justice and gender equality. According to the Union for Reform Judaism, Temple Israel’s congregation is the second-largest in the denomination.
The synagogue, founded in 1941 in Detroit, relocated to suburban West Bloomfield in the 1980s and has over 12,000 members, according to its website.
This attack is part of a growing trend of violence targeting religious buildings, increasing fear among religious leaders and worshippers worldwide.
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