Michigan synagogue attacker’s brother was part of Hezbollah, IDF says
New details have surfaced regarding the man who attacked a Michigan synagogue last week.
The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday Ayman Muhammad Ghazali’s brother was a Hezbollah commander responsible for managing weapons operations.
According to the IDF, Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali was killed in an Israeli Air Force strike last week. Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali’s two children, and another brother, Qassem, were also reportedly killed in that strike.
A Hezbollah official denied to The New York Times that Ibrahim or his family were affiliated with the group.
Authorities said 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali rammed his vehicle into the synagogue. A fire started shortly after the crash. Investigators said Ghazali loaded the vehicle with fireworks and an unidentified chemical agent.
Security guards hired over concerns of potential threats following the Iran War opened fire on Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, killing him. Several officers and security guards needed treatment for smoke inhalation but no one except Ayman Mohamad Ghazali died. One security guard was knocked unconscious after being hit by Ghazali’s vehicle.
Temple Israel is the largest Reform synagogue in the United States. Besides being a place of worship, the building also hosts a school that teaches pre-K through 12th grade. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the attack could have been much worse, and it could’ve resembled the Sandy Hook shooting if it weren’t for the quick actions of the security team.
The Michigan attack was the second on March 12. Just before 11 a.m., police say 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh walked into Old Dominion University’s Constant Hall. When he got there, he asked someone if he was in an ROTC class, and someone else responded that he was, and then he opened fire, investigators said.
Jalloh killed one person, Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, an Army lieutenant colonel and ROTC instructor. The shooting left two others injured, one critically. But other ROTC students and officers grabbed Jollah, held him down and allegedly killed him. At least one student stabbed Jollah, but authorities have not released the cause of death.
FBI special agent Dominique Evans, who oversees the Norfolk field office, said the students showed “extreme bravery and courage” and prevented Jollah from harming anyone else, The Associated Press reported. She said they “rendered him no longer alive,” saying she didn’t know “how else to say it.” Authorities did say police shot Jollah, but didn’t confirm that’s what killed him.
Jollah was a member of the Virginia Army National Guard but left in 2015. Investigators said that, after he left, he began to listen to extremist Muslim clerics who radicalized him. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to attempting to provide funds and weapons to ISIS. A judge sentenced him to 11 years in prison, but prison officials released him in December 2024, according to CNN.
Jollah was on supervised release when he carried out his attack.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
