by
FBI's Jennifer Runyan
Ayman Ghazali, 41, a Dearborn Heights restaurant worker who rammed his gray Ford F-150 pickup truck into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township on Thursday, died of a self-inflicted wound to the head during a shootout with security officers, the FBI said Friday evening.
Jennifer Runyan, head of the Detroit FBI, said at a nationally televised press conference that shortly before 10 a.m. Ghazali drove his pickup truck filled with fireworks into the temple parking lot at 5725 Walnut Lake Road.
She went on to explain what happened after that:
10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: He sits in his pickup truck in the parking lot.
12:15 p.m.: He starts driving through the parking lot.
12:19 p.m.: He drives his pickup truck into a door on the southeast corner of the building, hitting a security guard on the way.
12:20 p.m.: His truck gets jammed between hallway walls and he begins firing through the windshield. The first security officer engages him in a gunfight through the rear window of his pickup. At that point, Ghazali is unable to extract himself because the vehicle is jammed in the hallway.
12:22 p.m.: A second security officer engages Ghazali in a gunfight from the front of the vehicle, and soon after, his engine compartment catches fire.
At some point during the gun battle, Ghazali suffers a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
At the time of the attack, 103 children in daycare and preschool, along with staff, were ushered out of the building and taken across the street to the Shenandoah Country Club — a Chaldean club that welcomed everyone with open arms.
“They’ve always been our friends and our partners," Temple Israel Rabbi Josh Bennett told the Washington Post, referring to the country club. "When Oct. 7th happened and we held a service in our building, the Shenandoah’s leadership was with us in our sanctuary and supported us through those challenging times. And once again yesterday Shenandoah has offered everything to us. It’s been a beautiful partnership.”
Because the temple is closed and considered a crime scene, Friday night services were held at the country club.
On Friday, Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun stated on Facebook:
"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. 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.
"Everyone deserves to worship in peace, and we must unequivocally condemn any attack on a house of worship or the people within it."
Mark Jacobs, a longtime member of Temple Israel, said Friday:
“Yesterday was a very sad and terrifying day. I’ve been a member of Temple Israel for as long as I can remember.
“Thank God for those security guards. They probably saved lots of lives. The temple staff and children are fine although we don’t know yet the condition of the building. But it’s just a building and the important thing is that our members are safe. The outpouring of support throughout the community has been extraordinary.
“Jews aren’t truly safe anywhere. This was a sobering reminder of it, right in my own backyard.”
