The United States Department of Homeland Security released the identity of Ghazali, who lived in Durban, a city about half an hour’s drive from the synagogue. Some call Dearborn the “Jihad Capital of the United States” because of its large Muslim population. The data shows that Ghazali is an American citizen of Lebanese-Shia origin. He entered the United States in 2011 through an immigrant visa he received by virtue of being married to an American citizen, and in 2016 he received full American citizenship. His acquaintances described him as a “gentle and kind-hearted man who could not hurt a fly.”
About an hour before the attack, he talked to his ex-wife on the phone and asked her to look after their children. The unusual conversation led the woman to contact the American authorities, but the attack had already been carried out.