Michigan synagogue shooter poses with the same rifle he used just HOURS before the attack
An image of the Michigan synagogue shooter posing with the same rifle he used to cause pandemonium in an attack last week has come to light.
Lebanon-born Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, is accused of smashing a vehicle packed with explosives into Temple Israel, in West Bloomfield, Detroit, on March 12.
The harrowing photo of Ghazali, proudly holding the gun while pouting and wearing a keffiyeh around his neck, was sent by the shooter to his sister hours before his attack, according to Fox News's Bill Melugin, who first posted the picture.
Ghazali - whose family has links to terrorist group Hezbollah - had written a message in Arabic about seeking vengeance around his body, but the outlet redacted it.
Authorities said Ayman Ghazali drove almost 40 miles from his $315,000 home in Dearborn Heights to Temple Israel in West Bloomfield shortly after noon.
The synagogue complex includes a preschool and childcare center.
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.
Lebanon-born Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, is accused of smashing a vehicle packed with explosives into Temple Israel , in West Bloomfield, Detroit, on March 12. He died in his own attack. He is pictured here hours before, posing with the same rifle
Parents carry their preschool-aged children to safety as police escort them away from Temple Israel synagogue after Ghazali's attack on March 12
The attacker eventually shot himself after becoming trapped in the vehicle as it caught on fire, which was filled with commercial-grade fireworks and several jugs of gasoline.
Despite the chaos, no children or staff were injured.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Ghazali entered the United States in May 2011 on an immigrant visa granted to spouses of American citizens.
He later applied for naturalization and became a US citizen on February 5, 2016.
Court records show his ex-wife filed for divorce in Wayne County Circuit Court in August 2024. The divorce was finalized in March 2025 and included a child-support order.
Authorities say Ghazali called his former wife shortly before the attack and asked her to take care of their children.
The suburb's mayor, Mo Baydoun, said Ghazali 'lost several members of his own family, including his niece and nephew, in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon'.
His brothers, Kassim and Ibrahim Ghazali, were known members of the Iran -backed terror group Hezbollah.
Ibrahim's children, Ali and Fatima, were among those killed in the blast, a source told the Associated Press. His wife was seriously wounded and remains in hospital.
The official added that Kassim was a well-known soccer coach and personal trainer, while Ibrahim was a school bus driver in the village.
It is unclear which roles they played in Hezbollah and if they were the intended targets of the airstrike.
The FBI has been aware of Ayman Ghazali's terrorist connections for at least seven years, the New York Post reported.
