Armed FBI agents carry out search warrant believed to be in connection to synagogue attacker
Armed FBI agents executed a search warrant at a home in Michigan overnight Thursday, believed to be in connection with the synagogue attacker who rammed a vehicle into a Jewish house of worship earlier in the day.
Video shows agents outside a brick home in Dearborn Heights, a city in Wayne County, using a long battering tool to break a front window before making entry. Law enforcement told WJBK/FOX 2 Detroit they were conducting a search warrant.
The raid came hours after a suspect rammed a vehicle into Temple Israel, a large Reform synagogue in West Bloomfield, around 12:20 p.m. local time.
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The suspect, identified as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, allegedly rammed the synagogue and opened fire at security guards with a rifle, authorities said. Armed security returned fire and shot him dead.
During the incident, the vehicle caught fire, filling the building with smoke. All staff and 140 students were evacuated, FOX 2 Detroit reported. It remains unclear what ignited the flames.
FOX 2 Detroit reported that a chemical agent was found inside the truck, indicating a possible explosive device. Authorities have not identified the substance.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed President Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting, while FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi said FBI personnel and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting in the investigation.
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Henry Ford Health said at least eight first responders were treated at the hospital.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said one security guard was struck by the suspect’s truck. In a later update, he said roughly 30 officers were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation after entering the building.
The mayor of Dearborn Heights said in a social media statement that the suspect reportedly lost several family members in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon.
"Earlier today, we learned that the individual responsible for the incident that took place at Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield was a resident of Dearborn Heights. He died at the scene," Mayor Mo Baydoun said.
"Earlier this month, he lost several members of his own family, including his niece and nephew, in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon."
Baydoun condemned the attack and urged residents to remain vigilant, "especially as we gather during these sacred final days of Ramadan."
Multiple law enforcement sources and federal authorities said the suspect entered the United States as the spouse of a U.S. citizen roughly 15 years ago during the Obama administration and was granted citizenship in 2016.
Ghazali, born in Lebanon on Jan. 4, 1985, entered the U.S. through Detroit Metropolitan International Airport on May 10, 2011, on an IR1 immigrant visa, according to DHS.
He later applied for naturalization in October 2015 and was granted U.S. citizenship on Feb. 5, 2016.
Local media outlet The Detroit News reported that Ghazali worked in Dearborn Heights.