Michigan synagogue posts photos of fire damage a week after armed man plowed truck into building

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan synagogue on Thursday posted photos on social media of major fire damage that occurred when a man drove a pickup truck into the building last week before killing himself.

One image shows tables of fruits and snacks left uneaten when the midday attack occurred near an early childhood education room at Temple Israel in suburban Detroit. Photos reveal loose wires in the hallway, an exposed ceiling and blackened walls, including an array of celebratory photos ruined by fire.

The synagogue said on Facebook that it decided to share photos after other images “made their way into the media, which have caused considerable harm to the survivors of last week’s attack.” It didn’t elaborate.

“This is our sacred space, and we will be the ones to tell its story,” Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township said.

Ayman Ghazali, 41, rammed his pickup through a synagogue door on March 12, striking a security guard, after he sat in the parking lot for two hours. Security staff exchanged gunfire with him before he killed himself, the FBI said, noting that the truck had commercial-grade fireworks and several jugs of gasoline.

No children or other staff were injured.

The FBI said it hasn’t determined a motive, though Ghazali’s ex-wife called police in Dearborn Heights around the time of the attack to warn that he seemed distraught and suicidal. Ghazali, who was a naturalized U.S. citizen, had lost family members during an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon on March 5.

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White reported from Detroit.