Temple Israel attack in Michigan was Hezbollah-inspired terror act, FBI says

Max Bryan and George Hunter, The Detroit News on Mar 30, 2026

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DETROIT — The attack on Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield was a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism in which the assailant "was motivated and inspired by Hezbollah's militant ideology," FBI Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan said in a Monday briefing.

In the days leading up to the March 12 attack, Ayman Ghazali of Dearborn Heights searched terms including Hezbollah and Iran, along with “specific search terms, such as ‘what is the largest gathering of Israelis in Michigan?’ and ‘what time is the Trump rally in Michigan?’” Runyan said. “His last search was: ‘What time is lunch at Temple Israel?’”

The FBI special agent said Ghazali posted several Facebook messages, including “the oppressors will soon know what kind of end they will meet,” and “we will avenge their blood.” He was consuming Hezbollah propaganda before his brother was killed in Lebanon, she said.

The morning of the attack, as Ghazali sat in the Temple Israel parking lot, the 41-year-old man sent 19 photos and messages to his sister overseas that Runyan said “reiterated his intent to commit a mass terrorist attack and his Hezbollah ideology. … His sister asked him to stop sending these photos, but he continued.”

“Ten minutes before the attack, he sent two final videos (one of which said) ‘I have booby-trapped my car. God willing, I will kill as many of them as I possibly can.”

Ghazali not confirmed as a member of Hezbollah, FBI says

Ghazali allegedly slammed his Ford F-150 through the southeast entrance of Temple Israel synagogue on Walnut Lake Road shortly after noon on March 12. Ghazali died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head during a shootout with synagogue security guards, Runyan said at a prior briefing.

Ghazali's attack injured one security guard who was hit by the truck, according to the synagogue. More than 50 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said.

The truck's engine compartment caught fire after security guards fired at Ghazali. Runyan said "several jugs" of gasoline in the truck bed were consumed in the fire, and that investigators found fireworks in the bed as well. The truck had 35 gallons of fuel that he hoped would enhance the fireworks in the truck, Runyan said at Monday's briefing.

The FBI has not been able to independently verify if Ghazali was a member of Hezbollah, Runyan said.

“I think in his mind, he was trying to cause a mass amount of damage to more than 100 kids who were just going to school that day," Runyan said, noting that Ghazali knew it was the largest synagogue in Michigan.

Assailant had a run-in with Customs and Border Protection in 2019

While the attack on the synagogue was inspired by Hezbollah, a U.S. government-designated foreign terrorist organization, Runyan said, "We have no specific information about a Hezbollah attack here in Michigan."

Ghazali was not under federal investigation at the time of the attack, she said. He had an interaction with the Customs and Border Protection in 2019, but the FBI was not part of that search, Runyan said, referring questions to the CBP.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Jerome Gorgon said there was “no doubt” that if Ghazali had lived, he would have been able to prove “that he provided material support to Hezbollah."

“This man acted under Hezbollah’s action and control,” Gorgon said. “I’ve seen some odd attempts to lessen this terrorist attack by claiming he was an isolated lone wolf. ... Do not be misled; this terrorist acted on behalf of Hezbollah, and he intended to kill others, not just himself. "His death was a tool to kill as many Jews as he possibly could.

“There should be no confusion,” Gorgon said. “We are in America, and we go by American law. ... The United States has designated Hezbollah as a notorious anti-American terrorist organization for decades.”

Photos shared by the synagogue showed hallways blackened and filled with debris.

The Detroit News confirmed Ghazali, a U.S. citizen restaurant worker originally from Lebanon, had relatives killed in an Israeli airstrike days before he attacked the synagogue. The Israel Defense Forces have said Ghazali's brother, Ibrahim, who was killed in March 5 Israeli military strikes in Lebanon, was a Hezbollah commander.

The IDF tweeted a post earlier this month on X that said Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali managed weapons operations in a specialized branch of Hezbollah’s Badr Unit, which it said has "launched hundreds of rockets toward Israeli civilians during the war." The post said Ibrahim Ghazali was killed in an Israeli Air Force strike on a Hezbollah military structure.

The FBI investigation is continuing, although no one else has been connected to the attack other than Ghazali, Runyan said. She wouldn't say if officials are investigating anyone else.

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