FBI Labels Michigan Synagogue Attack as Hezbollah Terrorism

Federal authorities have classified the March 12 attack on a synagogue near Detroit as an act of terrorism inspired by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, marking a targeted assault on the Jewish community.

Ayman Ghazali, a 41-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon, drove a Ford F-150 pickup truck loaded with commercial-grade fireworks and jugs of gasoline into the entrance of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. The incident occurred around midday, when more than 150 children and staff were inside the building, which houses an early childhood education center. Ghazali had waited in the parking lot for over two hours, during which he recorded videos expressing his intent to kill as many people as possible and cause destruction, according to FBI investigators.

After smashing through closed doors and into a hallway, the truck struck one of the synagogue's security guards, who was hospitalized with injuries. Ghazali then exchanged gunfire with another guard before fatally shooting himself inside the vehicle. The truck's engine compartment ignited during the confrontation, causing extensive fire damage to the building. The synagogue's...