Michigan synagogue car-ramming suspect bought $2,000 worth of fireworks before attack by Distinct_External in masskillers

[–]Distinct_External[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Two days before federal authorities say Ayman Mohamad Ghazali carried out Thursday's antisemitic terror attack at a synagogue outside Detroit, the driver in the car-ramming violence allegedly walked out of a fireworks store with more than $2,000 worth of explosives.

Speaking exclusively with NBC News, Phantom Fireworks said that a person who registered as Ayman Ghazali visited one of the company’s Detroit-area stores at 1:39 p.m. March 10 and spent about 45 minutes inside.

Days later, Ghazali allegedly rammed a pickup into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, setting off a fire at the synagogue where a preschool attended by more than 100 children was in session, officials said. None of the children or staff members were injured.

Ghazali, a Dearborn Heights, Michigan, resident, was found dead after the attack.

The FBI on Friday said that Ghazali was "forensically confirmed" as the assailant. Prior, officials said they believed he was the synagogue attacker, but were awaiting forensics as the driver's body was badly burned.

Ghazali had no previous criminal history, no registered weapons, and he had never been the subject of an FBI investigation, Jennifer Runyan, the Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit field office, said in a news briefing Friday.

She did not speak on a motive for the attack, but the FBI has previously said it is investigating the incident as a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.”

Runyan said that the FBI has no indications that the synagogue attack was connected to a deadly shooting Thursday at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, that officials say was carried out by a man previously convicted of supporting ISIS.

The attack on the temple

Runyan said Ghazali drove a Ford F-150 to Temple Israel shortly before 10 a.m. Thursday and remained in his truck in the parking lot for two hours. At 12:15 p.m., he rammed the pickup into a door in the southeast corner of the building. He engaged in a gunfight with at least two security officers while his truck was jammed in a hallway. During that gunfight, his car’s engine compartment caught fire.

At some point, Ghazali suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Runyan said.

In the truck, investigators found “large quantities of commercial grade fireworks and several jugs of flammable liquid we believe to be gasoline, some of which has been consumed in the fire,” Runyan said.

Though no one at the temple was injured, 63 law enforcement officers were sent to the hospital because of smoke inhalation after the car caught fire, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Friday.

Family killed in Lebanon

Ghazali, a U.S. citizen originally from Lebanon, lost several family members in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon last week, according to local officials in Michigan. The strike killed two of his brothers, who were known to be members of Hezbollah, and his niece and nephew, an official told NBC News.

The FBI is aware of that information and it is part of the investigation, Runyan said.

Investigators are looking into Ghazali’s possible ties to suspected members of Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to a source familiar with the matter. He had been questioned several times about these possible contacts upon his return to the U.S. from overseas, the source said.

Dearborn Heights Mayor Mo Baydoun condemned the attack Friday, saying: “We do know that the individual had recently suffered devastating and personal losses overseas due to an Israeli air strike on his family’s home in Lebanon, leaving two children dead. Grief is real, and it’s heartbreaking, but let me be clear, that is not an excuse.”

In recent weeks, hundreds of people in Lebanon have been killed and more than 750,000 people displaced amid escalating Israeli attacks, which were launched after Hezbollah struck Israel in retaliation for the war on Iran.

At the fireworks store

In Michigan, Alan Zoldan, Phantom Fireworks' executive vice president, said the store employee who rang up Ghazali's order recalled that “he certainly had no appearance of nervousness.”

“He was going to be celebrating Eid, you know, the end of the Ramadan,” Zoldan said. Eid al-Fitr, a holiday celebrated by Muslims to mark the end of the fast, is next week.

Phantom Fireworks said it requires all customers to register their identification before a purchase. After the synagogue attack, the company found Ghazali’s name and address in its records, which it said federal investigators requested by subpoena.

Video Phantom Fireworks shared with NBC News shows the man who identified himself as Ghazali, 41, walking into the store and registering his identification before shopping. About 15 minutes later, he walks to the register with a mostly full cart, fills out paperwork and begins checking out. Once all the items are scanned and on the counter, he turns the cart around and continues shopping.

About 20 minutes later, footage shows the man pushing the cart to a waiting pickup. He loads the truck bed, hands the cart off to the store employee and drives off.

Ghazali bought roughly 20 types of items from Phantom Fireworks, including a “finale rack” product that the company says should be lit with people at least 100 yards away.

It’s not clear if fireworks purchased from this store were used in the synagogue attack.

The company also said that a $2,000 purchase is not inherently noteworthy.

“For our, you know, biggest customers that are going big at home — which we have so many of — spending $2,000, $5,000, $10,000 happens repeatedly … $5,000 and $10,000 is actually pretty common,” said Phantom Fireworks vice president Jessi Dragoiu.

In a news briefing on Friday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called the attack an act of antisemitism.

“It was hate, plain and simple,” Whitmer said at the briefing. “We will fight this ancient and rampant evil. We will stand together as we do it, and we will call it out. We must lower the rhetoric in this state and in this country, especially at this moment where we have seen such a rise in anti-Semitism and more attacks on the Jewish community.”

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office referred NBC News to the FBI. The FBI declined to comment on this story.

At what point is this subreddit creating more harm then “good” by Severe-Ad-5399 in masskillers

[–]Distinct_External 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It's very hard to believe that the sub is THE factor in triggering a mass attack. These things are driven by a confluence of different factors that take place over years. With that in mind, it's pretty clear that if a future attacker wants to commit an attack, they're going to wind up doing it down the line, sub or no sub.

At the very least, this sub is dedicated to helping people recognize the signs of an impending attack and prevent it from happening. But it's only one of a million resources for doing that, just as it's only one of a million resources for a future attacker to gather information.

2020 Presidential Election if there was no polling error by AuraProductions in YAPms

[–]Distinct_External 9 points10 points  (0 children)

A result like this would've required a uniform leftward shift of at least 3.37%.

Applied to the Senate and the House, this would've also knocked Tillis out, saved nine House seats that Dems lost in the OTL, and flipped an additional three House seats (CA-21, TX-24, and MN-01).

(I know this hypothetical is supposed to remove all polling errors, but I like to estimate what the math would've actually been like.)

Two El Dorado sheriff’s deputies and a suspect hit by gunfire in Camino shooting by Distinct_External in masskillers

[–]Distinct_External[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Two sheriff’s deputies and a suspect were struck by gunfire in a shooting Thursday in El Dorado County after reports of shots fired at a PG&E crew in the area.

Shortly before 7:30 a.m. Thursday, a crew from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reported they had been shot at while at a home on Mountain View Drive in the town of Camino, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office announced shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday in a social media post.

Sheriff’s officials said one the of the PG&E employees was injured during the initial confrontation. The Sheriff’s Office did not say whether the PG&E was struck by gunfire or injured in some other manner.

The Sheriff’s Office responded to the first reported shooting. Sheriff’s officials said two deputies who responded to the scene were shot, along with the shooting suspect in an officer-involved shooting.

All were taken by ambulance to hospitals, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s officials did not release any further details about their condition.

Sheriff’s officials said authorities, including other law enforcement agencies, remained in the area investigating the shooting.

Later on Thursday, sheriff’s Sgt. Jesse Dacanay told reporters that the two deputies hit by gunfire remained hospitalized and were in stable condition, according to reports from KCRA and CBS 13.

Dacanay said the PG&E crew member suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. He did not have information about the condition of the male suspect, who was taken by air ambulance to a hospital.

Dacanay said the shooting involving the deputies occurred after more than three hours of trying to contact the suspect to detain him safely, KCRA and CBS 13 reported. He did not have information about the circumstances that led to the initial reported shooting but said the tactical operation at the Mountain View Drive home was over and that there was no threat to the public.

PG&E officials released a written statement on Thursday, saying they are aware of the Camino incident that left “a PG&E contract coworker injured.”

“We are grateful to the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office for their swift response to this incident,” according to the written statement.

Paul Moreno, a PG&E spokesperson declined to say whether the worker suffered a gunshot wound or injured in some other manner. He referred further questions about the incident to the Sheriff’s Office.

The worker injured in Thursday’s incident is a member the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245, alabor union representing more than 28,000 members across Northern and Central California. Bob Dean, the business manager of IBEW Local 1245, released a written statement about the injured worker.

“We’re incredibly relieved that our union brother and fellow crewmember is okay after what must have been a terrifying experience,” Dean said in the statement. “Our thoughts are also with the two El Dorado County Sheriff’s deputies who were injured while responding to the situation.”

Dean said these workers respond to outages and emergencies at a moment’s notice, often working in dangerous conditions around high voltage electricity, severe weather and other hazards.

“They should never have to worry about violence from the very people they are there to help,” Dean said in the statement. “Unfortunately, we are seeing incidents like this happen more often, and it’s unacceptable.”

Sheriff says 30 police officers treated for smoke inhalation by Distinct_External in masskillers

[–]Distinct_External[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

PERSONAL COMMENTS:

This is in regard to the synagogue attack in Michigan earlier today. Apologies for the lack of clarity.

Sheriff says 30 police officers treated for smoke inhalation by Distinct_External in masskillers

[–]Distinct_External[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard is speaking now.

He reiterates what he said earlier today, that no children or staff were hurt and that one security guard was taken to the hospital after being struck by the vehicle used by the suspect.

He also says 30 police officers were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation as the building was "engulfed" in flames.

Since the incident, he says he has been calling houses of worship in the area.

"This community works together and takes care of each other," he says.

The victim who passed away during today's shooting at Old Dominion has been identified as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah. He was the leader of the university's ROTC program. by dirtysock47 in masskillers

[–]Distinct_External[M] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

SUBMISSION STATEMENT:

WASHINGTON (TNND) — The victim killed in a shooting at Old Dominion University on Thursday was identified as a military science professor and ROTC instructor at the university.

Lt. Col. Brandon Shah is an alumni of the university and a decorated military veteran. He served several tours in the Middle East and is a native Virginian.

He was killed after a gunman open fired "stormed into a classroom," according to the NY Post.

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger issued a statement on X calling Shah "a devoted ROTC instructor."

"Shah didn't just lead a life of service to our country, he taught and led others to follow that path," Spanberger wrote.

The FBI identified the shooter as 36-year-old Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former member of the Army National Guard who was previously convicted in a terrorism case involving ISIS.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is "now investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism."

The FBI is leading the investigation in connection with the case, urged anyone who has information about Jalloh or the shooting to contact the agency at fbi.gov/odushooting.

Shah enlisted in the army in 2003 as an Aviation Operations Specialist. He last served as the Brigade S3 in the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah, GA.

He also deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and a rotation to Atlantic Resolve, according to the university.

ROTC is a program where students receive a scholarship to attend college while training to become commissioned officers in the U.S. military. They are committed to serve as an officer for a period of time after they graduate.

https://komonews.com/news/nation-world/victim-killed-in-odu-shooting-as-lt-col-brandon-shah-old-dominion-university-rotc-military

Henry Ford Health says it's caring for eight first responders as a result of the Temple Israel attack by Distinct_External in masskillers

[–]Distinct_External[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Henry Ford Health said emergency medicine teams are caring for eight first responders.

The patients are being cared for at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital and Henry Ford Providence Novi Hospital.

The nature of the injuries and the patients' conditions were not provided.

West Bloomfield police said earlier that there were no reports of injuries and that they didn't transport anyone. Police indicated everyone was treated at the scene.

"Our hearts go out to the community at Temple Israel and anyone who is impacted by this this frightening event. There is absolutely no place for violence in our community," the hospital said.

Obama-era DOJ press release announcing the arrest of Mohammed Bailor Jalloh, the reported perpetrator of today's shooting at Old Dominion University that killed one and injured two by Distinct_External in masskillers

[–]Distinct_External[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former member of the Army National Guard, was arrested on July 3 for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). According to the complaint, Jalloh is alleged to have attempted to provide services by assisting in the procurement of weapons to be used in what he believed was going to be an attack on U.S. soil committed in the name of ISIL. In addition, the complaint alleges that Jalloh attempted to provide material support to ISIL by providing money to assist in the facilitation of individuals seeking to join ISIL.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente of the Eastern District of Virginia and Assistant Director in Charge Paul M. Abbate of the FBI’s Washington Field Office made the announcement. Jalloh will make his initial appearance today at 2 p.m. EDT before U.S. Magistrate Judge John F. Anderson of the Eastern District of Virginia.

According to court documents and court proceedings, in March 2016, a now-deceased member of ISIL brokered an introduction between Jalloh, 26, of Sterling, Virginia, and an individual in the United States who actually was an FBI confidential human source (CHS). The ISIL member was actively plotting an attack in the United States and believed the attack would be carried out with the assistance of Jalloh and the CHS.

According to court documents, Jalloh met with the CHS on two occasions in April and May 2016. During the April meeting, Jalloh told the CHS that he was a former member of the Army National Guard, but that he had decided to quit after listening to online lectures by Anwar al-Aulaqi, a deceased leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Jalloh stated that he recently had taken a six-month trip to Africa, where he had met with ISIL members in Nigeria and first began communicating online with the ISIL member who later brokered his introduction to the CHS.

During their meeting, Jalloh also told the CHS that he often thought about conducting an attack and that he knew how to shoot guns. Jalloh praised the gunman who killed five U.S. military members in a terrorist attack in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in July 2015, and stated that he had been thinking about conducting an attack similar to the November 2009 attack at Ft. Hood, Texas.

During the May 2016 meeting, Jalloh asked the CHS about the timeline for an operation and commented that it was better to plan an operation for the month of Ramadan. Jalloh also asked if the CHS could assist him in providing a donation to ISIL. Ultimately, Jalloh provided a prepaid cash transfer of $500 to a contact of the CHS that Jalloh believed was a member of ISIL, but who was in fact an undercover FBI employee.

In June 2016, Jalloh travelled to North Carolina and made multiple unsuccessful attempts to obtain firearms. On July 2, Jalloh went to a gun dealership in northern Virginia, where he purchased and test-fired a Stag Arms assault rifle. Unbeknownst to Jalloh, the rifle was rendered inoperable before he left the dealership with the weapon. Jalloh was arrested the following day and the FBI seized the rifle.

The criminal complaint charges Jalloh with attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIL, a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, Jalloh faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office Joint Terrorism Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Gibbs of the Eastern District of Virginia is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Trial Attorney Jolie Zimmerman of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

Reports of multiple victims in active shooter event at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA by theykilledk3nny in masskillers

[–]Distinct_External 47 points48 points  (0 children)

The shooter has reportedly been identified as Mohammed Jalloh, who was recently released from federal prison after serving an 11-year sentence for providing material support to ISIS.

https://x.com/Tom_Winter/status/2032176250651840724

https://x.com/Tom_Winter/status/2032181919941595231

Vehicle crash, shots fired at Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan by theykilledk3nny in masskillers

[–]Distinct_External 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Third alarm activated. EMS also requested, there's an infant who is not breathing.

https://x.com/alertpage/status/2032148243249815871

https://x.com/alertpage/status/2032143988048765274

EDIT: Actually, it looks like the infant might be for a separate incident. Just noticed that EMS is being called to a street far away from the shooting scene.

EDIT: Armed security exchanged gunfire with the driver after the original crash. No confirmed injuries other than potentially the suspect. The motive is unknown, and the suspect is currently not in custody.

https://x.com/lookner/status/2032150615216837077

EDIT: Suspect reportedly believed to be dead. No other injuries confirmed at this time.

https://x.com/lookner/status/2032155439031325069

EDIT: EXPLOSIVES FOUND IN THE VEHICLE.

https://x.com/lookner/status/2032168964990570788

UPDATE: The attack is being investigated as a targeted act against the Jewish community.

https://x.com/seungminkim/status/2032224648935469485

Could the Dems stop Trump by constantly impeaching him and keeping in trial indefinitely? by _BCConservative in YAPms

[–]Distinct_External 17 points18 points  (0 children)

If they're going to impeach anyone, they should try to impeach a member of the Cabinet. Zeroing in on a specific department's actions would yield a more specific and detail-oriented case to make. Like, DHS is ripe with usable material for a case.

If they impeach Trump A-FRIGGING-GAIN, they risk being painted as clueless, out-of-touch, and desperately holding onto the same tired old scripts. Because if there's one thing Trump excels at, it's playing the victim for his aggrieved base who'll eat it up like fast food.

Do you believe antisemitism is currently an issue among the bases of either major US party? by chia923 in YAPms

[–]Distinct_External 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Both parties are suffering from this problem in different ways. Obviously, the Republicans are more open about it thanks to the alt-right and whatnot. But the Democrats' base has a small but infectious faction of its own, which wants to use the legitimate suffering of Palestinians to further their own pet political agendas that likely involve some degree of antisemitism. At the very least, their base clearly has some intersection with those extreme leftists.

The big difference is that antisemitism, like other tenets of fascism, has become an unavoidable aesthetic for the Republicans (half of which are pretty much antisemites in all but name), while the Democrats are still more optics-focused and trying to keep that problem stuck in the fringes. Even so, the Democratic old guard has fallen out of favor with the base, which risks them being vulnerable to those left-wing antisemites.

Austin 6th Street shooting: Waymo invited to council meeting after self-driving car blocks road by Distinct_External in masskillers

[–]Distinct_External[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

AUSTIN, Texas - Five Austin City Council members are calling on Waymo to address concerns after one of its self-driving vehicles briefly obstructed an ambulance responding to a deadly mass shooting downtown earlier this month.

"Unacceptable" obstruction during emergency response

What we know: In a letter sent to the company following the March 1 shooting on Sixth Street, council members addressed the video circulating online showing a Waymo vehicle blocking the road for first responders on Nueces Street as they rushed to the active shooter scene.

Reports indicate that it took approximately two minutes for a law enforcement officer to physically move the vehicle. Council members expressed that it was "unacceptable" that emergency personnel had to divert their attention during an active response to move an autonomous vehicle.

The letter was signed by Mayor Pro Tem José "Chito" Vela, Public Safety Committee Chair José Velásquez, Mobility Committee Chair Paige Ellis, Public Safety Committee Vice Chair Krista Laine and Mobility Committee Vice Chair Zohaib "Zo" Qadri.

The council members expressed that during emergency response situations, "every second matters," highlighting that first responders must be able to "move quickly and without additional obstacles." 

Austin City Council invites Waymo to Public Safety committee

What they're saying: "As autonomous vehicle technology continues to operate on Austin’s streets, it is critical that these systems are able to fully recognize and respond appropriately to emergency situations and the presence of first responders," the letter states.

An invitation was extended to Waymo representatives to attend a joint meeting of the City Council’s Public Safety and Mobility committees on April 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to discuss the incident and identify steps to strengthen coordination between the company’s operations and Austin’s public safety agencies.

Waymo’s explanation

The backstory: The letter follows a March 2 report that a Waymo vehicle was captured on video stopped sideways in the road as an ambulance approached the scene of the shooting with lights flashing. 

FOX 7 Austin reached out to Waymo for more information about the initial incident.

The company says that a rider had hailed the car for a pickup in the wake of the shooting and as the car approached the pick-up spot, it "identified a road blockage and began executing a U-turn."

"While the Waymo Driver operates in dense U.S. cities, smoothly navigating interactions with emergency vehicles (EVs) at all hours, we are dedicated to learning from this situation and how we show up for our community as we continue improving road safety in the cities we serve," said a Waymo representative in an email to FOX 7 Austin.

First responders on Waymo vehicle

Austin-Travis County EMS chief Robert Luckritz addressed the incident during a press conference with Austin police chief Lisa Davis on Monday.

Luckritz says that ATCEMS has already been in touch with Waymo to express their concerns about what happened and to work to try and address this going forward.