Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump shared his support on Thursday with Michigan’s Jewish community after a driver rammed a vehicle into a synagogue in suburban Detroit.
The president said he had been fully briefed on the incident at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield and vowed authorities would investigate what happened.
“I want to send our love to the Michigan Jewish community and all of the people in the Detroit area following the attack on the Jewish synagogue early today,” he said at the start of remarks during a White House event.
“I’ve been fully briefed, and it’s a terrible thing, but it goes on. We’re going to get right down to the bottom of it. It’s absolutely incredible that things like this happen,” he added.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the suspect was later found dead inside the vehicle involved in the crash.
No children or staff members at the synagogue were injured in the incident. Approximately 140 students were in the synagogue’s early childhood center, but remained unharmed.
However, a security guard was taken to a hospital after being struck by the vehicle, Bouchard said.
The Department of Homeland Security later said the driver was Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old U.S. citizen who moved to the country from Lebanon. Ghazali reportedly lost several family members in an Israeli air strike in Lebanon last week, according to reporting from NBC News.
The synagogue had recently received security training from federal officials. The FBI’s Detroit field office conducted active-shooter preparedness training for Temple Israel staff earlier this year.
Bouchard said synagogue security personnel were able to quickly assess the situation and respond when the vehicle crashed into the property. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Law enforcement officials said they are continuing to gather evidence to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash.
“We are deeply and humbly grateful to our teachers, staff, security, law enforcement, and Shenendoah Country Club that welcomed us, fed us, and sheltered our staff, teachers, children, and parents. What incredible neighbors we have. What incredible police force we have,” the synagogue released in a statement on Facebook.