A suspect is dead after ramming a vehicle into Temple Israel, a synagogue and early childcare center in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, authorities reported Thursday. The incident left one security guard injured and at least 30 law enforcement officers hospitalized for smoke inhalation after the synagogue became engulfed in flames.
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The Department of Homeland Security identified the suspect as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Lebanon who obtained citizenship in 2016. Following the vehicle attack, synagogue security personnel opened fire at the suspect, who was later found deceased in the vehicle. Officials also discovered what appeared to be a significant quantity of explosives in the suspect’s vehicle, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office noted.
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All children, staff, and teachers in the synagogue’s attached school and daycare, totaling more than 100 individuals, were safely evacuated, local authorities reported. The security guard struck by the vehicle is expected to recover.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer characterized the attack as antisemitism “hate, plain and simple,” emphasizing the need for Americans to reduce inflammatory rhetoric. She highlighted the swift actions of law enforcement and synagogue staff in preventing a potentially far more serious tragedy. “It’s incredible to see people run to the fire to help kids get out, and everyone got home last night,” Whitmer remarked.
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident as a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.” Officials have not yet released a clear motive for Ghazali’s actions, though local media reports noted that he had lost family members in recent Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.
Temple Israel, one of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in North America, and law enforcement agencies across the country have heightened security measures in the aftermath of the attack.
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