The armed man who rammed his vehicle into a US synagogue full of children has been named by officials as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali after he was shot dead at the scene
The man who rammed his vehicle into a US synagogue in a ‘targeted act of violence’ has been identified as a 41-year-old citizen born in Lebanon, according to officials.
Ayman Mohamad Ghazali was shot dead by security officers after driving through a hallway at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township near Detroit, Michigan, in a vehicle that then caught fire on Thursday, March 12, authorities said.
None of the synagogue’s staff, teachers or the 140 children at its early childhood centre were injured.
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Ghazali came to the US in 2011 on an immediate relative visa as the spouse of a US citizen and according to the Department of Homeland Security was granted citizenship in 2016.
Jennifer Runyan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, called the crime a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community”.
The FBI are leading the investigation into the attack at one of the nation’s largest Reform synagogues and are yet to determine a motive.
“What drove this person into action has to be determined by the investigation,” said Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.
Smoke billowed from the synagogue moments after the attack with parents in “utter shock” after hearing the news and fearing for their children’s safety.
A security officer was hit by the vehicle and knocked unconscious but did not suffer life-threatening injuries, the sheriff said. And 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation.
Temple security officers “engaged the individual and neutralized the threat” according to West Bloomfield Police Chief Dale Young.
Ghazali was found dead inside his vehicle, according to Bouchard.
Cassi Cohen, director of strategic development at Temple Israel, was standing at the hallway where the crash happened. She said she heard a loud bang, grabbed a few staff members, ran into her office and locked the door.
“When I heard the crash, I knew it was bad,” Cohen said.
Cohen added that there was a classroom near where the car hit the synagogue with children as old as four and more than 30 staff members.
“Thankfully, we have had many active shooter drills and our staff is prepared for these situations,” she said.
Rabbi Arianna Gordon, from Temple Israel, thanked the security team, law enforcement and early childhood teachers for getting the children out safely and reunited with their parents, calling them the “true rock stars of the day.”
As soon as authorities cleared the building around a dozen parents raced to collect their children. Other families were reunited at a nearby Jewish Community Center.
Allison Jacobs, whose 18-month-old daughter is enrolled in Temple Israel’s day care, said she got a message from a teacher saying the children were OK even before she knew what happened.
“There are no words. I was in complete and utter shock,” she told the AP. “I was hoping that it was a false report.”
Jacobs said she often tries to not think about all that’s going on in the world due to never thinking it will happen to you.
“You never think that this is actually going to happen to you,” she said. “But I know that it’s — it’s just terrible. This morning I was mourning the loss of the school that got hit in Iran.”
