A Lebanese-born suspect has been identified in the Michigan synagogue attack, sources said

The suspect in Thursday’s attack on a Jewish synagogue in Michigan has been identified as 41-year-old Lebanese-born American citizen Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, according to three law enforcement sources who spoke to Fox News.

He was reportedly targeting Jews after losing their families in Lebanon during the country’s war with Israel, said Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun, adding that Ghazali is a resident of the city.

Ghazali allegedly attacked a car at Temple Israel, a large Reform Jewish synagogue in West Bloomfield, around 12:30 pm local time. He then got out of the car with a gun and shot and killed the armed guards.

“The tragic attack on the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan was carried out by Ayman Mohamad Ghazali,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed to Fox News.

MICHIGAN SYNAGOGUE ATTACK SUSPECT IDENTIFIED, FILED ON MARRIAGE VISA FROM LEBANON: DHS

The investigation is ongoing

The mayor of Dearborn Heights in a statement on social media said the suspect reportedly lost several family members when Israel attacked their home in Lebanon.

“Earlier today, we found out that the person who committed the incident that happened at the Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield is a resident of Dearborn Heights. He died at the scene,” said Mo Baydoun.

“Earlier this month, he lost several members of his family, including his nephew, in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon.”

Baydoun also condemned the attack and urged citizens to remain informed and vigilant, “especially as we gather in these last holy days of Ramadan.”

RELIGION Caught on camera with Australia’s most popular synagogue on suspicion of wills.

A woman gathers children as law enforcement officers respond to a call at the Temple Israel synagogue Thursday, March 12, 2026, in West Bloomfield Township, Mich. (AP Photo/Corey Williams)

Road to the US

Multiple law enforcement sources and authorities said the suspect, who lived near Dearborn, Michigan, entered the United States as the wife of an American citizen about 15 years ago under the Obama administration. He was granted citizenship five years later in 2016.

Ghazali, who was born in Lebanon on Jan. 4, 1985, entered the US through Detroit Metropolitan International Airport, on May 10, 2011, as the spouse of an American citizen, according to DHS.

He reportedly held an IR1 immigrant visa – a type of green card usually issued to couples who have been married for at least two years at the time of visa approval or entry – indicating that the couple married in May 2009.

Before her arrival, her partner filed two petitions in December 2009 under the two-petition scheme, a fiance petition and a petition related to another relative, both of which were approved in April 2010, authorities said.

He then applied for citizenship on Oct. 20, 2015, and was granted US citizenship on Feb. 5, 2016, under the Obama administration.

Local news site The Detroit News added that Ghazali was an employee at Dearborn Heights.

Law enforcement officials cautioned that identification is still early as investigators continue to investigate Thursday’s incident.

After the attack

A heavy police presence was seen at Temple Israel, a synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Mich., following reports of an active shooter on Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Fox 2)

After the attack, Henry Ford Health reported that at least eight first responders involved in the incident were treated at the hospital by emergency crews.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said earlier that one security guard was hit by the suspect’s truck. The number of affected responders then increased significantly, as approximately 30 officers were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation after entering the building, Bouchard added in the update.

All the kindergarten children and temple workers were safely removed from the synagogue.