FBI says armed man who rammed his pickup into Michigan synagogue was inspired by Hezbollah

The armed man who rammed his pickup truck into a Detroit-area synagogue earlier this month was carrying out an attack inspired by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese terror organization, the FBI says.

Ayman Ghazali made a video before the attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, saying he wanted to “kill as many of them as I possibly can,” says Jennifer Runyan, head of the US investigative agency in Detroit.

“We assess this attack to be a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism purposely targeting the Jewish community and the largest Jewish temple in Michigan,” she says. “We do not make this characterization lightly without a thorough review and keen evaluation of the facts. In this case, the evidence shows the attacker was motivated and inspired by Hezbollah’s militant ideology.”

The attacker sought out Iranian and pro-Hezbollah content online, she added, and he “regularly consumed breaking news and statements and live coverage of the current secretary-general of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem.”

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The man’s brother was a Hezbollah commander, the Israel Defense Forces said following the attack, confirming earlier reports on the matter.

Ghazali, 41, of Dearborn Heights, sat in the parking lot for a few hours on March 12 before smashing his pickup through closed doors and into the hallway of an early childhood education area, striking a security guard.

He then exchanged gunfire with another guard before fatally shooting himself, the FBI said at the time. The Ford F150, stocked with commercial-grade fireworks and jugs of gasoline, caught fire during the confrontation.

First responders quickly cleared the building, and no one among the 150 children and staff was injured, officials said.