The man suspected of ramming his car into a synagogue near Detroit, Michigan, earlier this month was inspired by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) said on Monday.
The head of the FBI’s Detroit field office, Jennifer Runyan, described the attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan’s largest Jewish temple, as a “Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism purposefully targeting the Jewish community” during a press conference. Authorities previously identified the suspect in the attack as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41. There is no evidence any co-conspirators were involved, Runyan said.
Ghazali died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound after allegedly driving a vehicle into the synagogue on March 12, according to authorities. The car, which carried jugs of gasoline and fireworks, caught fire during the attack.
One security guard was struck by the vehicle and taken to the hospital. Ghazali then allegedly traded gunfire with another guard. None of the children or staff in the building were injured in the attack, which occurred when the temple’s preschool was in session.
Read more: What We Know About the Suspect in the Michigan Synagogue Attack
The investigation, which has involved sifting through hundreds of forensics files and over 100 interviews, revealed Ghazali had a “recurring search history of pro-Hezbollah news channels, Iranian news channels, and videos about shoot-outs and bullets,” Runyan said.
In the days leading up to the attack, Ghazali purchased an “AR-style rifle” at a local gun store along with 10 magazines and 300 rounds of ammunition, she said, and practiced shooting the weapon at a shooting range. Runyan detailed other purchases Ghazali allegedly made in that time, including 40 5.3-gallon water containers from an online store, many of which she said he later filled with gasoline in multiple trips to gas stations; $2,200 dollars worth of fireworks; and two torch lighters, which she said the FBI believes he used to light his truck on fire. He also searched for phrases including “the largest gathering of Israelis in Michigan,” according to Runyan.
Two of Ghazali’s brothers, a niece, and a nephew were reportedly killed during an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon a week before the attack. His late brothers were understood to be Hezbollah members, a Lebanese official previously told NBC News. Runyan said that the day before the attack, Ghazali created a Facebook photo album entitled “vengeance” that included photos of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the initial wave of U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran late last month, and photos of his deceased family members.
On the day of the attack, Ghazali continued to post on his social media, and sent multiple messages to his sister that expressed his “commitment to commit violent action, references to martyrdom, as well as threats to attack what he described as the largest gathering of Israelis in Michigan,” Runyan said.
In a video sent to his sister 10 minutes before the attack, Ghazali allegedly said, “I have booby-trapped the car. I will forcefully enter and start shooting at them. God willing, I will kill as many of them as I possibly can,” according to Runyan.
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