Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, the Lebanese-born man identified as the suspect in the truck-ramming attack at Temple Israel in Michigan, had reportedly experienced a family tragedy shortly before the incident. According to reports cited by CBS News, several of his relatives were killed about ten days earlier when an airstrike hit their village in Lebanon.
Authorities said Ghazali carried out the attack on Thursday afternoon by driving a truck into the synagogue building and down a hallway. Investigators described the act as a targeted attack against the Jewish community. Although no fatalities were reported, the building housed an early childhood centre where teachers and around 140 children were present at the time.
The 41-year-old suspect, who had become a naturalised citizen of the United States, was later shot dead during the incident. Officials said his body was severely burned after the vehicle used in the attack caught fire, complicating initial identification.
Sources familiar with Ghazali said that the airstrike in Lebanon killed two of his brothers and two of their children, while another relative was seriously injured. Following the incident, he reportedly withdrew socially, stopped working and spent long periods alone at his residence.
Shortly before the attack, Ghazali called his ex-wife and told her to take care of their children. Concerned by the conversation, she contacted police and family members to check on him.
Records cited by authorities show that Ghazali first applied for an immigrant visa in December 2009 through marriage to a US citizen. He entered the country through Detroit Metropolitan International Airport in May 2011 on an IR-1 visa and later obtained US citizenship in February 2016 after applying for naturalisation in October 2015.
Before the attack, Ghazali had been living in Michigan and previously worked at a restaurant in the Dearborn Heights area. Members of the local Lebanese-American community said he had lived in the region for more than a decade.
The investigation into the incident is being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Officials said the motive for the attack has not yet been determined, and authorities are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the event.
