Michigan Synagogue Attacker Caught on Video Purchasing Over $2,000 in Fireworks Before Deadly Rampage

Security footage reveals Ayman Mohamad Ghazali bought 2,000 dollars in fireworks before the Temple Israel attack. FBI finds gas and explosives in truck.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 14, 2026, 7:34 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Fox News Media

Surveillance Captures Premeditated Explosives Purchase

Video evidence obtained from a Livonia fireworks showroom details the movements of Ayman Mohamad Ghazali 48 hours before his assault on a Detroit area house of worship. According to Alan Zoldan, an executive at Phantom Fireworks, the suspect spent approximately 45 minutes selecting items with names like Military Demolitions and Da Bomb, totaling two separate transactions exceeding 2,200 dollars. The footage shows Ghazali loading these materials into the bed of his pickup truck, which was the same vehicle later used to breach the synagogue’s perimeter.

Fatal Confrontation and Security Response

The assault unfolded on Thursday when Ghazali reportedly rammed his vehicle into Temple Israel, a prominent Reform Jewish congregation, shortly after noon. Upon exiting the crashed truck while brandishing a rifle, the 41 year old suspect engaged in a violent exchange of gunfire with armed security personnel on site. According to investigative reports, the suspect was shot by security and eventually retreated into a hallway where he suffered a self inflicted gunshot wound. All staff and children present at the facility’s preschool were successfully evacuated without physical injury during the chaos.

Evidence of Incendiary Intent

Federal authorities processed the scene and discovered that the truck used in the ramming was outfitted with more than just basic weaponry. Jennifer Runyan, the special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit field office, confirmed that agents recovered significant quantities of commercial grade fireworks and multiple containers of flammable liquid, believed to be gasoline. While some of these materials were damaged or consumed when the vehicle’s engine compartment ignited during the shootout, the presence of these items suggests a plan to inflict maximum structural and incendiary damage.