Ayman Mohamad Ghazali (Image/X@EricLDaugh) and Law enforcement escort families with children away from the Temple Israel synagogue (Image/AP)
In a deadly attack at a synagogue outside Detroit on Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified the armed man as a 41-year-old naturalised US citizen born in Lebanon. The accused, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, was shot dead by the security officers after driving his vehicle through a hallway at Temple Israel in West Bloonfiend Township near Detroit, Michigan, before security officials opened fire, killing him at the scene.
The vehicle later caught fire, authorities said. Temple Israel has 12,000 members and is one of the largest reform Synagogues in the United States, according to AP. According to federal authorities, Ghazali entered the United States in 2011 on an immediate relative visa as the spouse of a US citizen and was granted American citizenship in 2016.
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The attack occurred while staff members and children were present inside the synagogue’s early childhood centre. However, officials later confirmed that none of the roughly 140 children or staff members was injured.One security officer was struck by the vehicle and briefly knocked unconscious, while dozens of responding law enforcement personnel were treated for smoke inhalation.The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is probing the incident as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community. However, authorities said that the motive behind the attack has not yet been determined.“What drove this person into action has to be determined by the investigation,” said Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.Reacting to the incident, US President Donald Trump said that he had been fully briefed and described the attack as a “terrible thing.” Officials said that the investigation remains ongoing as federal and local authorities work to determine what led to the attack.This was the second attack at a house of worship in Michigan within one year. Last September, a former Marine shot four people at a church north of Detroit and set it on fire. The FBI later said that he was motivated by “anti-religious beliefs” against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
