Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has issued an apology for his response to a March terrorist attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township. El-Sayed, who is Muslim, stated at a Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus event on Saturday that he "made a mistake" and "should have issued a statement, of course condemning it, and that should have been the full stop."
The candidate was referring to comments he made after Ayman Mohamad Ghazali allegedly carried out the attack. Ghazali reportedly acted after losing family members in an Israeli strike in Lebanon. No one was killed in the incident.
At the time of the attack, El-Sayed recorded a video condemning the actions but also stating, "Hurt people hurt people." This remark was interpreted by some as an attempt to justify the attack by referencing Ghazali's loss of family members. El-Sayed later admitted that his comments "may have been misconstrued as justifying something I did not mean to justify."
"To anyone who feels my comments may have been hurtful, I'm really sorry. That was not my intention," El-Sayed told reporters. He had previously released a more emotional statement after the attack, expressing empathy for the parents of children present and condemning Ghazali's actions while still referencing the loss the alleged attacker had experienced.
El-Sayed defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary and is preparing to face Republican Mike Rogers in the general election.