WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN — Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon, drove a truck into Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, on March 12 before shooting and killing himself inside the vehicle. The FBI assessed the attack to be a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community and the largest Jewish temple in Michigan.

No one inside the synagogue, including all 140 children in the preschool, was injured. The truck caught fire after the crash, and multiple officers were treated for smoke inhalation. Ghazali had frequently consumed Hezbollah-related content online before the attack, and investigators recovered a recorded statement in which Ghazali said, "I have booby-trapped the car. I will forcefully enter and start shooting at them. God willing, I will kill as many of them as I possibly can."

Jennifer Runyan, head of the FBI's Detroit field office, described the scope of the investigation. "Despite the fire in the truck and the assailants' attempts to delete his digital footprint, we have processed hundreds of digital and forensic evidence items. We've conducted over 100 interviews of witnesses, family and associates," Runyan said.

"Based on the evidence gathered to date, we assess this attack to be a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism targeting the Jewish community and the largest Jewish temple in Michigan. Evidence shows the attacker was motivated and inspired by Hezbollah's militant ideology," Runyan said.

U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said, "He methodically planned, armed himself and then drove an explosives-laden truck into a temple filled with American children."

Ghazali entered the United States in 2011 on a family-related visa as the spouse of an American citizen and became a naturalized citizen in 2016. Beginning in January, his online activity included recurring searches for pro-Hezbollah and Iranian news channels and videos about shootouts and bullets. He regularly viewed coverage of Hezbollah's secretary general, Naim Qassem, and coverage of an Iranian fatwa for total jihad against the U.S. military.

On March 9, Ghazali began researching local synagogues. His online searches included the phrases "largest gathering of Israelis in Michigan" and "Israelis near me." He attempted to delete his search history.

In preparation for the attack, Ghazali attempted to obtain a weapon from two individuals, both of whom refused to sell him one. He then purchased an AR-style rifle from a gun store in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, along with 10 rifle magazines and approximately 300 rounds of .223 ammunition. He also ordered a rifle pouch and 40 containers of 5.3-gallon water capacity online and researched local firework vendors.

Ghazali had lost two brothers, a niece, and a nephew in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon earlier in March. Israeli attacks in Lebanon have targeted Iran-backed Hezbollah forces, displacing more than one million people. Since the start of the conflict, more than 1,200 people, including 120 children, have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon.