Police responded to reports of an active shooter at a synagogue outside Detroit on Thursday, with smoke seen rising from the roof of the building. Later, AP reported citing sources that the suspect in the attack was dead.
US President Donald Trump reacted to the incident, calling it a "terrible thing". The FBI is set to investigate the Michigan attack as "targeted act of violence" against Jewish community.
According to WDIV-TV, quoted by the Associated Press, a truck crashed into the Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township. The scene had numerous police vehicles surrounding the synagogue as authorities responded to the incident.
FBI director Kash Patel said federal agents were at the scene of what he described as an “apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter situation” at the synagogue.
"At least one individual came to the temple," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "Security saw him, engaged him in gunfire," he added.
"Nobody at the moment has been confirmed to be hurt except potentially the shooter," Bouchard said, adding that the attacker was not in custody.
Authorities from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said officers were in the process of clearing the building. Meanwhile, several parents rushed to pick up their children from an early childhood learning centre located inside the complex after receiving clearance from police. The nearby West Bloomfield School District was also placed on lockdown as a precaution.
Temple Israel describes itself on its website as the largest Reform synagogue in the United States, with around 12,000 members. The facility includes an early childhood education centre and hosts educational programmes for families and adults.
According to its website, the synagogue is “passionate about helping Jewish communities across the globe” and its mission is to “create a community building through the lens of Reform Judaism.”
