Michigan synagogue attack: DHS confirms Lebanon-born Ayman Mohamad Ghazali behind shooting at Temple Israel
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Michigan synagogue attack: DHS confirms Lebanon-born Ayman Mohamad Ghazali behind shooting at Temple Israel")
Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield (L) Ayman Mohamad Ghazali (R) Photograph: (Combination created using images from X)
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed that Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old naturalised American citizen born in Lebanon, was the attacker who rammed a vehicle into Temple Israel in Michigan.
The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday (Mar 12) confirmed that the armed man who rammed his vehicle into one of the nation’s largest Reform synagogues was a Lebanon-born naturalised American. The attacker who carried out the "targeted act of violence against the Jewish community" has been identified as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali. This targeted attack on Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Oakland County, comes on the heels of reports of Iranian sleeper cells being activated globally, including in the United States. Ghazali's status as a Lebanon-born individual has raised questions if the attack on the Jewish community in the US is part of alleged Iranian sleeper cells.
‘Antisemitism knows no limits’
In a statement posted on X by the Israeli Prime Minister's office, Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack as an act of antisemitism, saying that it “knows no limits or boundaries”. He alleged that the Detroit-based temple was attacked only because it was a “Jewish house of worship”.
“Israel is attacked because it is the Jewish state. Temple Israel in Detroit was attacked today because it is a Jewish house of worship.” The attack on a Jewish place of worship comes as the US-Israel-Iran war enters its 14th day.
Iranian sleeper cell signals intercepted
The United States this week intercepted top-secret communications believed to have originated in Iran. The encrypted communication, as per US intelligence, may serve as "an operational trigger" for Iranian "sleeper assets" outside the nation. The US federal government, in an alert sent to law enforcement agencies, has warned that the transmission may have activated Iranian sleeper cells.
Also read | US KC-135 Stratotanker crashes near Iraq-Jordan border during operation Epic Fury; rescue mission underway
What happened in Michigan?
Federal officials have described the attack as a targeted attack against the Jewish community. On Thursday, the assailant, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, rammed his pickup truck into a synagogue on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, causing a blaze. Security guards opened fire on the attacker after he smashed through the doors of the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told reporters.
While no synagogue staff or children were hurt in the attack, 30 law enforcement officers were "taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation" after the evacuation efforts. Speaking to the press, Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit field office, confirmed that the federal agency will investigate the incident "as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community."
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Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.
