Federal authorities have officially classified the March 12th assault on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan as a Hezbollah-inspired terrorist act. The FBI confirmed that naturalized U.S. citizen Ayman Muhammad Ghazali, originally from Lebanon, deliberately targeted Michigan’s largest Jewish temple while dozens of children were present inside the synagogue.
According to Special Agent Jennifer Runyan, Ghazali’s digital footprint revealed extensive consumption of pro-Hezbollah media content and specific searches regarding Israeli gatherings in Michigan. His online research included footage of armed confrontations, ammunition specifications, and news coverage of Iranian fatwas calling for jihad against U.S. military forces.
In the days preceding the attack, Ghazali acquired an AR-style rifle, ten magazines, approximately 300 rounds of ammunition, fireworks, torch lighters, and multiple gallons of gasoline. He created a Facebook album titled ‘vengeance’ containing images of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had been killed during initial U.S.-Israel strikes in the recent conflict with Iran.
Minutes before the assault, Ghazali sent his overseas sister videos, photos, and messages explicitly stating his intent to execute a mass terrorist attack. In one Arabic-language recording, he announced his plan to ‘forcefully enter and start shooting at them’ while claiming to have booby-trapped his vehicle.
The attack commenced when Ghazali rammed his truck into the temple doors twice before engaging in gunfire with security personnel. He subsequently ignited fireworks inside his vehicle, causing a fire that filled the hallway with smoke. Ghazali ultimately died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during the incident. One security guard sustained injuries, and several officers required treatment for smoke inhalation.
Authorities confirmed Ghazali had no prior FBI investigation history and wasn’t on any terrorist watchlist. U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon stated that had Ghazali survived, he would have faced charges of providing material support to Hezbollah—a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. The Israel Defense Forces later reported that Ghazali’s brother was a Hezbollah commander recently killed in an airstrike, though the BBC hasn’t independently verified this claim.
Investigators found no evidence of co-conspirators in the meticulously planned attack that federal officials have directly linked to Hezbollah’s militant ideology.