Family of Michigan synagogue attacker died during airstrike in Lebanon last week: Reports

An anonymous local Lebanese official said Friday that four family members of the man who rammed his vehicle into a Michigan synagogue Thursday died last week during an airstrike in Lebanon, according to multiple news reports.

Authorities identified the suspected driver as 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a naturalized citizen born in Lebanon who came to the United States in 2011 on an immigrant visa as the spouse of a U.S. citizen and lives in Dearborn Heights.

Private security guards at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield killed Ghazali, who was also equipped with a rifle and explosive devices. No other people were killed, but one security guard was injured after Ghazali crashed his vehicle and 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation from a fire that erupted in the crash.

The local official in Mashgharah, Lebanon, told the Associated Press that Ghazali's two brothers, a niece and a nephew died in the airstrike, which impacted their home. Ghazali's sister-in-law was allegedly hospitalized from the strike.

Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun said that Ghazali's “grief is real and it’s heartbreaking,” adding, “But there is never an excuse for violence, especially violence directed at a sacred space."