A horrifying incident unfolded recently when a man of Lebanese descent allegedly attempted to drive a vehicle laden with explosives into a synagogue near Detroit. Just moments before the attack, he chillingly recorded a video from the parking lot, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old who had become a naturalized U.S. citizen, is seen in the footage declaring his intent to commit mass murder. He targeted what he called the largest gathering place for Israelis in Michigan on March 12.
While the synagogue included a preschool, it was a stroke of luck that no children were harmed during the incident. However, a security guard did suffer injuries, and the attacker ultimately turned a weapon on himself as his vehicle erupted into flames.
The Daily Mail has obtained an exclusive screenshot from the video, showing Ghazali with a solemn expression, wearing a keffiyeh, and poised with his finger on the trigger of a high-powered firearm outside Temple Israel.
This video is part of a compelling collection of evidence that has led federal authorities to determine that this was indeed a terrorist act.
The compilation of evidence also features photographs, videos, and messages Ghazali sent to his sister in Lebanon. These communications were made while he sat in his car outside the West Bloomfield temple on the morning of the attack.
The source who provided the screen grab said it comes from footage of Ghazali playing ‘Hatha al-Sha’b ilayka nidaa,’ a revolutionary anthem in the Arab world which translates to: ’This people is a call to you.’
The chant, a declaration of loyalty and a plea for divine intervention, praises martyrs who die for their cause and includes a shoutout to southern Lebanon and Hezbollah, the terrorist group based there, the source said.
The Lebanese-born man accused of crashing a vehicle packed with explosives into a synagogue outside Detroit earlier this month shot chilling video from the parking lot moments earlier, the Daily Mail has learned. A screenshot of the footage is shown above
The Daily Mail also obtained a photo of Ghazali at a gun range two days before the attack, showing him in a black jacket, wearing plugs in his ears as he stared down the barrel of a rifle
Ghazali displayed the weapon at the end of the video and declared, ‘We rely on God.’
He then shot a second video playing a chant that supports the bombing of enemies and attacks on their fortresses.
He also posted a meme that morning to his collection entitled ‘Vengeance,’ with the message: ’There is no need to learn Hebrew anymore.’
The Daily Mail also obtained a photo of Ghazali at a gun range two days before the attack, showing him in a black jacket, wearing plugs in his ears as he stared down the barrel of a rifle.
Ghazali sent nearly two dozen images and messages to his sister that morning, sharing his Hezbollah-inspired ideology, references to martyrdom and his commitment to attack on what he described as Israelis, but in reality, was a reform synagogue of mostly Jewish Americans.
Another photo obtained by the Daily Mail shows the interior wreckage caused by the attack.
Fox News had released one photo of the shooter taken days before the attack, showing him posing with the rifle. That photo was also sent to the sister, the outlet reported.
Authorities said Ghazali drove almost 40 miles from his home in Dearborn Heights to the synagogue complex, which includes a preschool and childcare center.
Law enforcement vehicles are seen in the parking lot of Temple Israel as an Israeli flag blows in the wind on top of the building following an active shooter on Thursday in West Bloomfield, MI
Parents are escorted by police down after being reunited with their children after a suspect crashed his truck into the hallway of Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan
More than 140 children, teachers and staff members were inside at the time.
Ghazali rammed a truck through the building’s entrance before security guards opened fire.
The attacker eventually shot himself after becoming trapped in the vehicle as it caught on fire. It was filled with commercial-grade fireworks and several jugs of gasoline.
Ghazali lived in a $315,600 home in nearby Dearborn Heights, and he worked at Hamido, a popular Middle Eastern eatery, where regulars say he was the ‘face of the restaurant.’
The gunman lost four family members – two brothers, a niece, and a nephew – in an Israeli airstrike in his native Lebanon shortly before he attacked the synagogue, authorities confirmed.
