(Washington) The attack perpetrated in early March in a Michigan synagogue, shortly after the start of the war against Iran, was apparently inspired “by Hezbollah,” an FBI official said on Monday.
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“Based on the evidence collected to date, we believe this attack was a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism, deliberately targeting the Jewish community and Michigan’s largest synagogue,” Jennifer Runyan, FBI agent in charge of the Detroit office, said at a news conference.
The investigation continues after a man drove his vehicle into the gates of Temple Israel Synagogue — which bills itself as the largest Reform Jewish synagogue in the United States — in West Bloomfield.
No one was killed in the attack except the attacker, who committed suicide. However, a security guard was injured and several law enforcement officers had to be treated for smoke inhalation.
More than 140 children were inside the synagogue at the time.
The FBI representative detailed how the attacker searched for Jewish cultural, religious and educational centers in the Detroit area, while purchasing materials for the attack.
American media reported that the man, born in Lebanon and arrived in Detroit in 2011, had lost members of his family in an Israeli strike in Lebanon shortly before his attack.
Since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, several attacks classified as terrorists have been recorded in the United States. Anti-Semitic incidents and attacks have also increased there in recent years.
