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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified a Lebanon-born US citizen, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, as a suspect in the attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.
The 41-year-old, from Dearborn Heights, came to US legally in 2011 after receiving sponsorship from his then-wife, a US citizen, and became a citizen himself in 2016.
West Bloomfield Police Chief Dale Young said that law enforcement responded to an "active shooter situation" at around 12:19 p.m. on March 12 and officers arrived at the scene within five minutes.
Young said the suspect rammed his vehicle into the building, which caught after the crash.
Ghazali is suspected of driving his truck into the synagogue and opening fire, before he was shot and killed by security.
The FBI said it is investigating the incident as a "target act of violence against the Jewish community".
Sources have also shared that Ghazali's family members, including his brothers and two of their children, were recently killed in a military strike in Lebanon during the ongoing war with Iran.
The Israeli military has carried out several waves of air strikes against Lebanon, where Lebanese officials say at least 687 people have been killed.
Lebanon got involved in the US and Israeli war against Iran after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed.
The sources described Ghazali as a kind, gentle person who had been part of the community for about 16-17 years. They insisted that he was not politically or ideologically motivated and someone who "couldn't hurt a bug."
Following the attack, Temple Israel confirmed that all 140 students and staff are safe.
