Temple Israel attacker died of self-inflicted gunshot

The terrorist who rammed an explosives-laden truck into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Mich., on March 12, shot himself, Jennifer Runyan, FBI Detroit’s special agent in charge, said on Saturday.

Forensic evidence confirmed that Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, a resident of Dearborn Heights, carried out the attack. “At some point during the gunfight, Ghazali suffers a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” Runyan said.

“He has no previous criminal history and no registered weapons. He’s also never been the subject of an FBI investigation,” she said.

Ghazali, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Lebanon, rammed a vehicle, which caught fire, into the synagogue complex, which houses an early childhood center. It was originally reported that he had been fatally shot by security personnel.

The synagogue’s director of security was wounded, and dozens of officers were treated for smoke inhalation. The children and staff inside the building were evacuated safely.

“In the bed of the truck, we found large quantities of commercial-grade fireworks and several jugs of flammable liquid that we believe to be gasoline, some of which had been consumed in the fire,” Runyan said.

“At this time there are no new known threats to the community,” she added. “And the FBI has no indications that this attack was connected to the shooting at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.”

A gunman opened fire at Old Dominion University the same day as the Temple Israel attack, killing one person and wounding two others

Law enforcement officials identified the shooter as Mohammed Bailor Jalloh, 36, of Virginia. FBI director Kash Patel said that the agency is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism.

Jalloh opened fire on a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps class at Old Dominion on Thursday morning.