Federal officials have identified the man who drove an explosives-filled vehicle into a Michigan synagogue preschool as a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon.
According to the New York Post, authorities said the suspect, 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, died after crashing through the entrance of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield during Thursday’s frightening attack.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Ghazali’s identity and provided details about his immigration history.
According to DHS, Ghazali first entered the United States through Detroit in 2011 after receiving an immigrant visa tied to his marriage to a U.S. citizen.
Officials said he later became a naturalized American citizen.
“He entered the United States on May 10, 2011, at Detroit Metropolitan International Airport on an IR1 immigrant visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen after alien relative and fiancé petitions filed in December 2009 were approved in April 2010,” DHS said.
The agency added that Ghazali later sought citizenship.
“He applied for naturalization on October 20, 2015 and was granted U.S. citizenship on February 5, 2016, under the Obama administration.”
Investigators said Ghazali drove a vehicle packed with explosive materials directly into the synagogue building.
The vehicle smashed through the entrance and into a hallway inside the facility where a preschool operates.
At the time of the incident, dozens of children were inside the building.
Security personnel at the synagogue responded immediately, opening fire as the vehicle barreled through the doors.
Authorities said Ghazali was later found dead inside the vehicle.
Investigators also discovered dangerous materials inside the car, while mortar shells were located in the back of the vehicle, along with a rifle.
The vehicle crash triggered a fire inside the building, and aerial footage showed smoke rising from the synagogue as first responders rushed to the scene.
Despite the alarming situation, no students or staff members were injured during the attack. Police said everyone inside the facility was safely evacuated. One security guard was injured during the confrontation.
Officials said the synagogue’s lead security officer was struck by the vehicle during the crash and knocked unconscious. He was taken to a nearby hospital and is expected to recover.
Emergency crews also faced health concerns after responding to the scene.
Police said at least 30 emergency responders were treated at local hospitals for smoke inhalation.
Authorities have not yet determined exactly how the suspect died.
“We can’t say what killed him at this point,” Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard told reporters.
“But security did engage the suspect with gunfire.”
Investigators are still working to determine the motive behind the attack.
However, the FBI confirmed the incident is being treated as a targeted act against the Jewish community.
Temple Israel sits in Oakland County, outside Detroit, in a region with one of the largest Jewish populations in the United States outside of the New York metropolitan area.
The synagogue is also located roughly 20 miles from Dearborn, a city known for having the largest Muslim and Arab population in the country.
Federal authorities said the FBI is now leading the ongoing investigation into the attempted attack.
