In a dramatic overnight operation on Thursday, armed FBI agents carried out a search warrant at a residence in Michigan. This action is believed to be linked to the individual responsible for driving a vehicle into a synagogue earlier that day.
Footage captures agents at a brick house in Dearborn Heights, located in Wayne County, employing a battering tool to break a front window before entering the premises. Law enforcement confirmed to WJBK/FOX 2 Detroit that they were executing a search warrant.
The raid followed an incident where a suspect crashed a vehicle into Temple Israel, a prominent Reform synagogue in West Bloomfield, at approximately 12:20 p.m. local time.
Video evidence shows armed FBI agents positioned outside the Dearborn Heights home late Thursday into the early hours of Friday. They appeared to breach the window while carrying out the search warrant, which is believed to be related to the attack on Temple Israel. (WJBK/FOX 2 Detroit)
Authorities have identified the suspect as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali. He allegedly drove into the synagogue and then fired a rifle at security personnel. The armed security responded, fatally shooting him.
During the incident, the vehicle burst into flames, causing smoke to fill the synagogue. All staff members and 140 students were safely evacuated, according to FOX 2 Detroit. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
FOX 2 Detroit reported that a chemical agent was found inside the truck, indicating a possible explosive device. Authorities have not identified the substance.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed President Donald Trump had been briefed on the shooting, while FBI Director Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi said FBI personnel and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting in the investigation.
Armed FBI agents are seen outside a home in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, late Thursday into early Friday, appearing to breach a front window while executing a search warrant believed to be connected to the Temple Israel synagogue attacker. (WJBK/FOX 2 Detroit)
Henry Ford Health said at least eight first responders were treated at the hospital.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said one security guard was struck by the suspect’s truck. In a later update, he said roughly 30 officers were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation after entering the building.
The mayor of Dearborn Heights said in a social media statement that the suspect reportedly lost several family members in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon.
“Earlier today, we learned that the individual responsible for the incident that took place at Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield was a resident of Dearborn Heights. He died at the scene,” Mayor Mo Baydoun said.
“Earlier this month, he lost several members of his own family, including his niece and nephew, in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon.”
An aerial view of the scene of the attack at the Temple Israel, a synagogue in Michigan, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. (WJBK)
Baydoun condemned the attack and urged residents to remain vigilant, “especially as we gather during these sacred final days of Ramadan.”
Multiple law enforcement sources and federal authorities said the suspect entered the United States as the spouse of a U.S. citizen roughly 15 years ago during the Obama administration and was granted citizenship in 2016.
Ghazali, born in Lebanon on Jan. 4, 1985, entered the U.S. through Detroit Metropolitan International Airport on May 10, 2011, on an IR1 immigrant visa, according to DHS.
He later applied for naturalization in October 2015 and was granted U.S. citizenship on Feb. 5, 2016.
Local media outlet The Detroit News reported that Ghazali worked in Dearborn Heights.
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