DETROIT — The suspected gunman who attacked a West Bloomfield Township synagogue on Thursday has been identified as a Dearborn Heights man.

Ayman Ghazali, 41, a restaurant worker, allegedly crashed his truck into the Temple Israel synagogue just after noon on Thursday and opened fire with a rifle. Authorities said he was killed by security guards.

A temple security guard was injured in an exchange of gunfire and taken to a local hospital for treatment, officials said.

They have not given details about a possible motive, but an FBI official said on Thursday that the attack is being treated as a "targeted" act of violence against the Jewish community.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Thursday that the suspected attacker acted alone.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed Late Thursday that Ghazali was the individual who carried out the attack.

Ghazali immigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon

Ghazali, a native of Lebanon, was granted U.S. citizenship more than 10 years ago, under the administration of President Barack Obama, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

He entered the U.S. through Detroit on May 10, 2011, on an immigrant visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen, the department said Thursday in a statement.

On Oct. 20, 2015, Ghazali applied for naturalization and was granted citizenship on Feb. 5, 2016, federal authorities said.

Sources told The Detroit News on Thursday that Ghazali had relatives who were recently killed in a military strike in Lebanon.

According to the sources, Ghazali had at least four relatives, including a sibling, killed days earlier in a military strike in Lebanon, the sources said.

Details about Ghazali's work, family life

Ghazali worked at Hamido Restaurant in Dearborn Heights, a Mediterranean restaurant on Ford Road.

Ghazali’s ex-wife filed for divorce in Wayne County Circuit Court in August 2024, records show. The couple had at least one child, according to court records, and a divorce was granted seven months later, in March 2025.

Mohammad Ahmad Moussa, the ex-wife’s divorce lawyer, declined comment when contacted by The News on Thursday.

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—Staff Writer Charles E. Ramirez contributed.

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