Federal officials say the man who drove a vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township was a Lebanese national who later became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Authorities have identified the individual who drove a vehicle into a synagogue building in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, as a Lebanese national who entered the United States more than a decade ago and later obtained American citizenship.
The incident occurred Thursday at Temple Israel, where the driver rammed a vehicle into the building before being confronted by on-site security personnel. Security officers engaged the suspect, who was subsequently killed during the confrontation.
Early reporting indicated the vehicle involved in the attack was registered to a resident of Dearborn, Michigan, who was originally from Lebanon.
According to reporting from Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin, federal officials have identified the suspect as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali. In a public update shared online, Melugin reported that the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the attacker’s identity and immigration background in the aftermath of the incident.
Melugin wrote in a post on X that “DHS confirms to FOX News that the Michigan synagogue attacker has been ID’d as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a Lebanese national who first entered the U.S. in 2011 on an IR1 immigrant visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen.”
The full post containing the confirmation from federal officials can be viewed in Melugin’s report published on X on March 13, 2026.
Melugin also reported that Ghazali later became a U.S. citizen after entering the country on the immigrant visa.
“He was naturalized into a U.S. citizen in 2016 during the Obama administration,” Melugin wrote.
Authorities have not released additional details regarding the suspect’s activities prior to the attack or any potential motive. Officials have also not disclosed whether the individual had previously come to the attention of law enforcement.
Temple Israel, located in the Detroit suburb of West Bloomfield Township, had security personnel present when the vehicle struck the building. Those personnel responded immediately and confronted the driver, bringing the incident to an end.
Federal and local investigators are continuing to review the circumstances surrounding the attack and the suspect’s background. Officials have not yet announced whether additional investigative findings will be released in the coming days.
There is a school at Temple Israel and no children or staff were harmed in the attack.
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