Michigan Synagogue Attack: FBI calls it Hezbollah-inspired terrorism as new timeline details emerge

A federal investigation into the michigan synagogue attack at Temple Israel is now being publicly framed by the FBI as a “Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism, ” with officials laying out a timeline of online activity, attempted weapons purchases, and pre-attack messages that they say show intent to target the Jewish community.

What did the FBI say Monday about the Michigan Synagogue Attack?

In a Monday afternoon press conference in ET, FBI Detroit Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyan said the attack at Temple Israel earlier this month targeted the Jewish community and was inspired by Hezbollah ideology. Runyan said the investigation remains ongoing.

U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Jerome Gorgon described the case as meeting multiple elements tied to Hezbollah, stating: “First, this man knew that Hezbollah was a terrorist organization. Second, he provided material support to Hezbollah, and third, he did it under Hezbollah’s direction and control, ” as presented during the same press conference.

The suspect was identified as Ayman Ghazali, 41, of Dearborn Heights. The FBI said he made a video before the attack expressing a desire to “kill as many of them as I possibly can, ” a statement Runyan attributed to him in her briefing.

What is the FBI timeline leading up to the attack at Temple Israel?

Runyan said the investigation identified a history of the suspect searching pro-Hezbollah materials dating back to January 2026, including pro-Hezbollah outlets and Iranian news channels. She also described a sequence of steps in the days immediately preceding the attack.

On March 9, Runyan said the suspect attempted to purchase weapons from two different individuals before purchasing an AR-style rifle with 10 magazines and around 300 rounds of. 223 ammunition. Agents also said he researched locations for local fireworks vendors and searched numerous Jewish web pages throughout Michigan.

On March 10, the suspect searched terms including “largest gathering of Israelis in Michigan, ” visited a shooting range in the afternoon, and purchased $2, 200 worth of fireworks.

On March 11, Runyan said he began adding photos to a Facebook album titled “vengeance, ” including images of Iran’s former supreme leader and others. Runyan also said he posted images of his deceased brother and niece and nephew, who were killed in Lebanon in an Israeli airstrike. Israel’s military said the brother, Ibrahim Ghazali, was a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon.

When asked whether the attack was retribution for the deaths of family members, the FBI said the suspect had been consuming pro-Hezbollah materials before those losses occurred.

What happened during the michigan synagogue attack, and what evidence did officials highlight?

Federal the incident unfolded on March 12 at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township. The FBI said Ghazali sat in the parking lot for a few hours before crashing his pickup truck through closed doors and into the hallway of an early childhood education area, striking a security guard. The FBI said he then exchanged gunfire with another guard before fatally shooting himself.

The vehicle was described as a Ford F150 stocked with commercial-grade fireworks and jugs of gasoline, and it caught fire during the confrontation. first responders quickly cleared the building and that no one among the 150 children and staff inside was injured.

Runyan said that on the morning of the attack, the suspect posted additional photos of deceased family members and comments including “we will seek retribution for their sacred blood” and that Israel is pure evil. Runyan also described messages sent just before the attack to the suspect’s sister in Lebanon, including nearly a dozen videos. In what Runyan presented as a final video, she said the suspect described plans to target what he called “the largest gathering of Israelis in the state of Michigan” and claimed he had “booby-trapped the car” and intended to “start shooting” and “kill as many of them as I possibly can. ”

Runyan said the sister did not view the videos until about an hour after the attack.

Separately, Ghazali’s ex-wife called police in Dearborn Heights around the time of the attack to warn that he seemed distraught and suicidal after losing family members in the airstrike in Lebanon. The strike came days into the Iran war with Israel and the U. S. that began Feb. 28.

National intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard told a Senate committee that Ghazali had family ties “to a Hezbollah leader. ”