The armed suspect who drove a vehicle into a Michigan synagogue complex on Thursday had lost four family members in an Israeli airstrike in his native Lebanon last week, a local official has said. Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, a naturalised US citizen born in Lebanon, was killed by security guards at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township before he could harm staff, teachers or 140 children at the early childhood centre.
Ghazali's two brothers, a niece and a nephew were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the eastern Lebanon town of Mashgharah on 5 March, the town's mayor, Iskander Barakeh, told the Guardian. The victims were identified as Kassim and Ibrahim Ghazali, and Ibrahim's children Ali and Fatima. Ibrahim's wife was seriously wounded and remains in hospital.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is leading the investigation, described the attack as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community. Ghazali came to the US in 2011 on a family-related visa and was granted citizenship in 2016, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The mayor of Mashgharah said he did not know why the Ghazali residence was targeted, adding that the family was not affiliated with any political party. The airstrike also damaged two multi-apartment blocks, a community centre, a school and a Christian cemetery in the town.
During Thursday's incident, the suspect's vehicle caught fire, and black smoke was seen billowing from the building. One security officer was hit by the vehicle and knocked unconscious but did not suffer life-threatening injuries. Thirty law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation.
