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Recent footage and images have come to light, purportedly capturing the man accused in the Michigan synagogue incident purchasing over $2,000 worth of fireworks just days before allegedly driving a truck into Temple Israel, located near Detroit.
The video, which Fox News acquired, reportedly depicts 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali from Dearborn Heights buying fireworks worth a total of $2,250.96 at the Phantom Fireworks showroom in Livonia, Michigan, on March 10.
According to Phantom Fireworks, Ghazali completed two transactions—one for $1,369.02 at 2 p.m. and another for $881.94 at 2:17 p.m. Among his purchases were 20 items, including various firecrackers, aerial repeaters, and a fountain product.
Alan Zoldan, the executive vice president of Phantom Fireworks, mentioned to Fox News that there was “nothing really too suspicious” about the transaction, adding that Ghazali “appeared to be in a good mood.”
A photo of Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, identified by officials as the attacker at Temple Israel, was obtained by NYPost.
Zoldan said the items Ghazali was buying were based on how they sounded and that he was looking at fireworks “that were either shaped like they were possibly very strong or had names like ‘Military Demolitions’ and ‘Da Bomb.’”
“He obviously thought that they were going to be stronger and perhaps more devastating than they were,” Zoldan said.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Ghazali shopping in the store’s retail showroom, where he spent about 45 minutes. After making the first purchase, he loaded the fireworks into the bed of his pickup truck and then returned inside to make an additional purchase.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Ayman Mohamad Ghazali inside a Phantom Fireworks store in Livonia, Michigan, where he purchased more than $2,000 worth of fireworks days before the synagogue attack on March 12. (Obtained by NYPost)
Zoldan added there was no noticeable tension or anything that would raise suspicion for employees.
Ghazali allegedly rammed a vehicle into Temple Israel, a large Reform Jewish synagogue in West Bloomfield, shortly before 12:30 p.m. local time. He then exited the vehicle with a rifle and exchanged gunfire with armed security, who shot and killed him.
All preschool children and staff were safely evacuated from the synagogue.
Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, 41, was allegedly seen in newly obtained surveillance footage purchasing fireworks days before the attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan. (Obtained by NYPost)
Jennifer Runyan, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, said during a news conference Friday that Ghazali was “forensically confirmed” to be the assailant.
She said Ghazali had no previous criminal history or registered weapons and had never been the subject of an FBI investigation.
After engaging security officers in a gunfight, Ghazali’s vehicle engine compartment caught fire, and he became trapped in the synagogue hallway, according to investigators.
Law enforcement responded to Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan on March 12 after a suspect rammed a vehicle into the synagogue and opened fire before being shot by security. (WWJ)
“At some point during the gunfight, Ghazali suffers a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” Runyan said.
She said agents found large quantities of commercial-grade fireworks and several jugs of flammable liquid, believed to be gasoline, in the bed of the truck. Some of the items were consumed in the fire, she added.
Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun said during a news conference Friday that Ghazali, a Lebanese-born American citizen, had recently lost family members in Lebanon during the country’s conflict with Israel.
“We do know that the individual had recently suffered devastating and personal losses overseas due to an Israeli airstrike on his family’s home in Lebanon, leaving two children dead,” he said.
“That grief is real and it’s heartbreaking,” he continued. “But let me be clear: that is not an excuse. These actions do not reflect our values as a city. This is not who we are. There is never an excuse for violence, especially violence directed at a sacred space.”
The incident remains under investigation.
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