Michigan synagogue car-ramming suspect bought $2,000 worth of fireworks before attack
Michigan Synagogue Attack Suspect Purchased $2,000 in Fireworks Prior to Incident
Federal authorities reported that Ayman Mohamad Ghazali executed an antisemitic attack at a synagogue near Detroit on Thursday. Just two days before the incident, he allegedly purchased over $2,000 in explosives from a local fireworks store. According to Phantom Fireworks, a customer registered under his name visited one of the company’s Detroit-area locations on March 10 at 1:39 p.m. and spent approximately 45 minutes inside.
FBI Confirms Ghazali as Attacker
Ghazali, a Dearborn Heights resident, was identified as the perpetrator after the attack. Officials confirmed his death post-incident, with the FBI stating he was “forensically confirmed” as the suspect. Prior to this, investigators suspected him but awaited confirmation due to severe burns on the driver’s body.
During the attack, Ghazali arrived at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township around 10 a.m. and remained in his Ford F-150 for two hours in the parking lot. At 12:15 p.m., he drove the truck into the synagogue’s southeast corner, igniting a fire. The vehicle’s engine compartment caught fire during a gunfight with security officers, resulting in Ghazali sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
“He certainly had no appearance of nervousness,” said Alan Zoldan, Phantom Fireworks’ executive vice president. “He was going to be celebrating Eid, you know, the end of the Ramadan.” The store requires customers to register ID before purchases, and Ghazali’s name and address were found in their records after the attack.
Attack Details and Aftermath
Despite the fiery crash, no children or staff at the synagogue were hurt. However, 63 law enforcement officers were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation. Ghazali, a U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon, had no prior criminal record, no registered weapons, and had not been investigated by the FBI before.
The FBI is examining whether the attack was linked to a separate shooting at Old Dominion University in Virginia, where a man with a history of ISIS support was responsible. Runyan noted no evidence of a connection between the two events. Ghazali’s family suffered losses in an Israeli airstrike last week, which killed two of his brothers—Hezbollah members—and his niece and nephew, according to Michigan officials.
Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun criticized the attack, stating: “We do know that the individual had recently suffered devastating and personal losses overseas due to an Israeli air strike on his family’s home in Lebanon, leaving two children dead. Grief is real, and it’s heartbreaking, but let me be clear, that is not an excuse.” The strike occurred amid escalating Israeli operations in Lebanon, which have claimed hundreds of lives and displaced over 750,000 people in recent weeks.
