Temple Israel attacker identified as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali

Federal officials say the man was an immigrant from Lebanon, while law enforcement say an investigation into the attack could take some time.

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Police vehicles and school buses block the roadside near Temple Israel, responding to the attack on March 12, 2026.

The Department of Homeland Security have identified the man who rammed his vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield as 41-year-old Ayman Mohammad Ghazali. He was a legal U.S. citizen who immigrated from Lebanon.

Listen: Alex McLenon reports on the Temple Israel attack – The Metro

NPR sources have confirmed his brothers and two of his brother’s children were killed in a recent Israeli air strike on Lebanon. His parents were also hospitalized in that attack, sources say.

Law enforcement examining the case in Michigan say their investigation is ongoing and have not yet shared a motive.

Ghazali was killed in an exchange of gunfire involving building security at Temple Israel. A security guard was struck when the attacker crashed into the building, but nobody inside the synagogue was killed.

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Author

  • Alex McLenon is a Reporter with 101.9 WDET. McLenon is a graduate of Wayne State University, where he studied Media Arts & Production and Broadcast Journalism.