Michigan synagogue attacker committed 'Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism': FBI
The man armed with fireworks who rammed his truck into a West Bloomfield, Michigan, synagogue was carrying out "a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism purposely targeting the Jewish community and the largest Jewish temple in Michigan," the FBI said.
Ayman Mohamad Ghazali was "motivated and inspired by Hezbollah's militant ideology" for his March 12 attack at Temple Israel, Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, said at a news conference on Monday.
Ghazali -- who wanted to kill as many people as possible, Runyan said -- died at the scene. Dozens of law enforcement officers were hurt in the incident but nobody inside the synagogue was injured, authorities said.
On March 9, three days before the attack, Ghazali, 41, started looking at web pages for local synagogues, Runyan said.
He tried to buy a gun from two different people. After they said no, he bought an AR-style rifle at a gun store, along with 10 rifle magazines and approximately 300 rounds of ammunition, she said.
Ghazali searched online for phrases including "largest gathering of Israelis in Michigan" and "Israelis near me," and tried to delete his search history, Runyan said.
He also practiced using his gun at a shooting range and purchased more than $2,200 worth of fireworks, she said.
On March 11, he began adding photos to a Facebook photo album that he called "vengeance," Runyan said. He posted images that included Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, she said.
On March 12, the morning of the attack, Ghazali posted numerous photos of his deceased family members to Facebook, and he wrote online, "We will seek retribution for his sacred blood," according to Runyan.
Ghazali's two brothers and several other relatives were killed in an Israeli airstrike on March 5, a town official in Mashghara, Lebanon, told ABC News earlier this month.
On March 12, while sitting in the synagogue parking lot, Ghazali sent his sister "19 videos, photos and messages that reiterated his intent to commit a mass terrorist attack, as well as affirming his Hezbollah-inspired ideology," Runyan said.
Ghazali also exchanged several short phone calls with his ex-wife shortly before the attack, Runyan said. The ex-wife called local police requesting a welfare check, she said.
On the afternoon of March 12, Ghazali plowed his truck into the synagogue and struck a security guard, authorities said. When Ghazali's truck jammed in a hallway, he opened fire, authorities said, and security guards returned fire.
The synagogue became engulfed in fire. Runyan said Ghazali used approximately 35 gallons of gasoline.
Ghazali died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound during an exchange of gunfire with security guards, officials said.
Dozens of law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said, but nobody inside the synagogue was hurt, including all 140 students at the building's preschool. The security guard hit by the suspect's truck was expected to be OK, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.
Runyan said she couldn't say whether Ghazali was inspired by the strikes in Iran but did say he was "engaging in that ideology" before his relatives' deaths. She said the FBI has not been able to verify if Ghazali -- a U.S. citizen with no criminal history -- was in Hezbollah.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Jerome Gorgon said at Monday's news conference, "Had this man lived, I'm convinced that my office would prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he committed the federal crime of providing material support to Hezbollah."
Ghazali "acted under Hezbollah's direct and control," Gorgon said. "Terrorist propaganda is designed to activate the so-called 'lone wolf' to act on behalf of the terrorist organization."
