The man suspected of attacking the Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, on Thursday was identified as a Lebanese immigrant whose family had recently been killed in an IDF airstrike in Lebanon, local and national media reported on Friday.
Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun said in a statement that the suspected shooter, Ayman Ghazali, had lost several family members, including a sibling, a niece, and a nephew, "in an Israeli attack on their home in Lebanon" earlier in the month.
The IDF has not commented on the situation.
Ghazali, a 41-year-old restaurant worker from Lebanon, became a naturalized US citizen in 2016, after entering the country on an immigrant Visa. He was named by the US Department of Homeland Security as the shooter shortly after the event occured.
Temple Israel attack leads to no casualties other than shooter
On Thursday, Ghazali allegedly rammed his truck through the front doors of the synagogue before firing on security guards, injuring one. Security forces shot back, killing him.
The attack took place at Temple Israel, which serves about 12,000 members and is widely described as the largest Reform synagogue in the United States. The building, which also houses a childcare center, went into lockdown during the incident, and authorities said no children or staff were seriously injured.
According to CBS News, preschool was actively in session at the time of the incident.
Zvika Klein, Corinne Baum, and Goldie Katz contributed to this report.