What To Know About MI Synagogue Attack Suspect

DEARBORN HEIGHTS, MI — Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, the man federal officials said rammed his vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield on Thursday, recently lost family in Lebanon after an Israeli missile strike and worked at a popular Detroit-area restaurant, according to reports.

Officials said 41-year-old Ghazali came to the United States in 2011, applied for naturalization in 2015 and was granted U.S. citizenship in 2016.

Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun said Ghazali was a resident from his area. He also said that Ghazali recently "lost several members of his own family, including his niece and nephew, in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon."

Ghazali also worked at Hamido Restaurant, which is a Middle Eastern eatery, but had been absent from work recently, the New York Times reported.

"He’s the face of the restaurant," Rami Achkar, a regular diner, told the newspaper. "I’ve known him for years."

Court records show Ghazali had an ex-wife, whom he divorced last year, and with whom he had two children, ages 12 and 13.

The FBI was seen carrying more than a dozen sealed paper bags and boxes from Ghazali's home Thursday night, WXYZ reported.

The FBI did confirm they are investigating the incident as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.

Related:

• 'It was Hate. Plain And Simple': Whitmer Says Of MI Synagogue Attack
• Feds ID Suspect In MI Synagogue Attack: What We Know