Governor Labels Attack as Hate Crime
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer described the incident on Thursday where a vehicle was driven into a synagogue near Detroit as antisemitism and "hate, plain and simple".
The FBI is investigating the event at Temple Israel as a "targeted act of violence against the Jewish community," although the motive remains unclear.
No staff or children at the synagogue and its attached school were injured. A security guard sustained injuries and was receiving treatment, with law enforcement reporting he was expected to recover.
Details of the Incident
The suspect, identified as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, reportedly drove "with purpose down the hall of the building" before being "neutralised" by security guards, according to police. The vehicle subsequently caught fire.
Rabbi Jen Lader of Temple Israel, who was inside the synagogue during the attack, recounted the experience as "sheer terror."
"American Judaism is such these days that every synagogue is a target. Every synagogue is aware that we need to take precautions to keep our people safe,"
she told the BBC, adding that the temple had conducted training in preparation for similar incidents.
"It's a nightmare that we have to have an armed full-time security team in order for people to feel safe coming to synagogue,"
she said.
Governor's Remarks on Antisemitism
During her remarks on Friday morning, Governor Whitmer highlighted the rise of antisemitism in the US.
"We will fight this ancient and rampant evil. We will stand together as we do it,"
Whitmer stated, adding:
"We must lower the rhetoric in this state and in this country."
She noted that the Jewish community, especially in West Bloomfield near Detroit where Temple Israel is located, is now on edge.
Whitmer emphasized that children aged zero to five were targeted in the attack, noting that Temple Israel, one of the largest reform Jewish synagogues in the US, evacuated more than 100 young children from its preschool.
Local and Political Reactions
Michigan Senator Elisa Slotkin, who grew up in the area and spent considerable time around the temple, expressed similar concerns at a news conference.
Slotkin, a Democrat, stressed that antisemitism, whether from the political left or right, must be confronted publicly to prevent escalation into violence.
"The Jewish community suffers ten times the number of hate crimes than any other community in this country,"
the senator said.
"So it is an epidemic."
She added that without active opposition to antisemitism, incidents like this will continue to increase.
Law Enforcement and Suspect Information
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard reported that in addition to the injured security guard, 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation.
The US Department of Homeland Security identified the suspect as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old naturalised US citizen born in Lebanon who arrived in the US in 2011.
Authorities did not disclose the cause of the suspect's death. Sheriff Bouchard noted that determining the cause was difficult due to the vehicle catching fire.
