WEST BLOOMFIELD — Federal officials labeled the March 12 attack at a Michigan synagogue as an act of terrorism inspired by Hezbollah. On March 12, Ayman Ghazali drove a truck loaded with explosives into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

Ghazali was armed with a rifle during the attack and killed himself after exchanging gunfire with Temple Israel's security guards. "He committed the terrorism crime of providing material support to Hezbollah," said Jerome Gorgon, U.S. Attorney for the District of Eastern Michigan.

The attack occurred one week after Ghazali's two brothers and other family members were killed in a drone attack by the Israel Defense Forces targeting Hezbollah outposts on March 5. Ghazali's two brothers had been members of Hezbollah's rocket unit and remained in Lebanon.

After the drone strike that killed his relatives, Ghazali recorded videos of himself talking about becoming a martyr and sent them to family in Lebanon. Investigators recovered a photograph of Ghazali holding an AR-style rifle with Arabic text including a verse from the Quran and language about "revenge."

Temple Israel, Michigan's largest synagogue and one of the largest synagogues in the U.S., houses an early childhood center where classes were in session at the time of the attack. No children, teachers, or staff at the early childhood center were injured during the attack.

A security guard was hospitalized after being struck by Ghazali's vehicle. Multiple first responders were treated for smoke inhalation at a local hospital. The Temple Israel building was damaged by fire, though the synagogue's sprinkler system mitigated a larger fire during the attack.

Ghazali's phone was recovered at the scene of the attack. Investigators found on Ghazali's phone a browsing history dating back to January that included pro-Hezbollah news, shootout videos, live coverage of Naim Qassem, and news coverage of an Iranian fatwa for jihad against the U.S. military. Naim Qassem has served as Hezbollah's secretary-general since 2024 and is the fourth person to hold the position.

Ghazali lived in Dearborn, Michigan, where he worked at a local restaurant and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2016. Police in Oakland County are planning an increased presence at synagogues, Jewish community centers, and other sites to deter potential targeted attacks and acts of terrorism ahead of the Passover holiday beginning April 1.