According to Headline USA, which adapted reporting from the Associated Press, Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed apologized Saturday to the state’s Jewish Democratic Caucus for comments he made after a March attack on a Detroit-area synagogue—remarks he tied to Israel’s actions in the Middle East.
“My comments may have been misconstrued to justify something I did not mean to justify,” El-Sayed told reporters after addressing the caucus at a party convention in Lansing, per Headline USA. “To anyone who feels like my comments might have been hurtful, I’m really sorry. That was not my intention.”
What sparked the backlash
Headline USA reported that in March a man attacked Temple Israel, a synagogue in a Detroit suburb, ramming his car into the building and opening fire on a security guard before dying by suicide. The outlet identified the man as Ayman Mohammad Ghazali and reported he had lost four relatives in an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon the week prior.
In a video response at the time, El-Sayed condemned the attack and added, “hurt people hurt people,” a reference to what happened to Ghazali’s family, according to Headline USA. Critics accused El-Sayed of justifying Ghazali’s actions.
El-Sayed’s explanation
On Saturday, El-Sayed said, “What I was trying to do was offer context for why it happened, but it wasn’t the time for context,” adding, “and you don’t ever want to trample somebody’s pain,” per Headline USA.
Political stakes
Headline USA described El-Sayed’s apology as part of an effort to unify Democrats after a bitter primary in which he defeated U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. The outlet also noted ongoing controversies involving allegations of antisemitism, including his association with commentator Hasan Piker, whom Headline USA characterized as a “controversial leftist commentator.”
El-Sayed faces Republican nominee Mike Rogers in a contest that Headline USA said will help determine control of the U.S. Senate.
