New details revealed about Michigan synagogue attacker. What we know

Niraj Warikoo, Dave Boucher and Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY NETWORKSat, March 14, 2026 at 4:39 PM UTC

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Officials are still piecing together why a 41-year-old man attacked Michigan’s largest synagogue as the public learns more from the FBI and local faith leaders.

Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, of Dearborn Heights, was identified as the suspect who on March 12 rammed his truck into Temple Israel’s entrance in West Bloomfield. After a gunfight with security guards, Ghazali died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, FBI Detroit Field Office Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan told reporters March 13. There were no injuries to synagogue members, including children at preschool, though Ghazali hit one security guard with his truck.

Days after the attack, FBI Detroit issued its timeline, which said Ghazali shot himself amid a gun battle.

Read more: After synagogue attack, Jewish leaders say 'preparations mattered'

Meanwhile, local officials and religious leaders said Ghazali’s family died in a recent Israeli airstrike in his native Lebanon as the United States and Israel continue their war with Iran.

Runyan said FBI was still investigating a motive for the attack. FBI has previously said it’s being investigated as a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.”

Here is what we know about the suspect.

Who is the suspect?

Ghazali, originally from Lebanon, entered the United States in May 2010 on an IR1 immigration visa, for spouses of U.S. citizens, according to the Department of Homeland Security. In 2015, he applied for naturalization, and he was granted citizenship in February 2016.

Records show Ghazali’s ex-wife filed for divorce in Wayne County Circuit Court in August 2024, according to the Detroit News. A divorce was granted seven months later. Ghazali had at least one child with his ex-wife.

He worked at a Middle Eastern restaurant in Dearborn Heights.

Ghazali had no prior criminal history, no registered weapons and was never part of an FBI investigation, Runyan said.

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Police from various agencies come out Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Thursday, March. 12, 2026.Family killed in airstrike

Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun on March 13 told reporters Ghazali’s family home in Lebanon had recently been hit by an airstrike amid the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, killing his relatives. Wayne County, which includes Dearborn Heights, has the highest percentage of Lebanese Americans in the United States. The Michigan community has been rattled by the strikes in Lebanon, alongside the war in Iran, since both are affecting areas with large Shia Muslim communities.

On March 13, the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported a memorial service had been held at the Islamic Institute of America, a large Shia mosque in Dearborn Heights, for Ghazali’s family members. The strike killed two of Ghazali’s brothers and a niece and nephew, according to a flyer the Free Press reviewed. The flyer named surviving family members, including the name of the suspected Temple Israel attacker.

In response to reporters’ questions in a March 13 briefing, Runyan said FBI was aware of reports that members of Ghazali’s family were allegedly part of Hezbollah, an Islamic militant group based in Lebanon that's been designated a terrorist group by the United States. Runyan declined to speculate further on ties. In a March 14 email, FBI said it had no additional information.

Faith leader who met suspect at memorial condemns attack

Imam Hassan Qazwini, the mosque’s religious leader, told the Free Press he met Ghazali during the memorial service. Qazwini said he didn’t know Ghazali personally, but said Israel’s attacks don’t give people a “blank check” to attack synagogues and civilians.

“I strongly condemn the attack against Temple Israel," Qazwini told the Free Press. "Houses of worship have their sanctity and should be spared from political violence. Islam forbids holding innocent people accountable for acts done by others. The unjustified Israeli attack on civilians in Iran and Lebanon gives no blank check to anyone attacking synagogues, civilians and peaceful communities.”

After gunfight, suspect shot himself, FBI says

FBI Detroit on March 13 issued its timeline of the March 12 ramming attack:

Just before 10 a.m., Ghazali drove his gray Ford F-150 into Temple Israel’s parking lot and stayed parked in the vehicle for just over two hours. He previously bought $2,000 worth of fireworks, and Runyan said he had a large amount of commercial fireworks and gasoline in the bed of his truck.

Just before 12:20 p.m., Ghazali is accused of driving into a building entrance, hitting the security guard. His vehicle got stuck in the hallway, and he began shooting through the windshield. Through his rear window, he exchanged gunfire with the security guard he hit, before also having a firefight with a second security guard from the front of his truck.

At about 12:31 p.m., his engine caught fire. During the gunfight and the fire, he shot himself in the head, according to the FBI.

Contributing: Andrea May Sahouri and Violet Ikonomova, Detroit Free Press; Christopher Cann and Michael Loria, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New details revealed in Michigan synagogue attack. What we know

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