A security guard shot and killed a suspect who rammed a car into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, on Thursday, according to police.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security identified the attacker as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, who was born in Lebanon in 1985 and became a U.S. citizen in 2016.
Authorities said the suspect drove his vehicle into the building at Temple Israel shortly before 1 p.m. The vehicle struck a security officer, knocking him unconscious. Officials said the guard did not suffer life-threatening injuries.
After the crash, the vehicle caught fire and smoke was seen rising from the synagogue. Law enforcement sources told CNN that mortars were found inside the suspect’s car.
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said no children or staff members inside the building were injured. He added that video footage showed the suspect “traveling with purpose down the hall.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said federal agents responded to the scene of what he described as an “apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter situation” at the synagogue.
Authorities said the motive behind the attack, which occurred outside Detroit, was not immediately clear.
