A suspect is dead after a shooting and vehicle ramming attack at a synagogue in Michigan, the FBI said on Thursday, adding that the incident is being treated as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.
A senior federal law enforcement official briefed on the investigation confirmed that the suspect, believed to have been armed with a rifle, was killed during a shootout with security personnel at the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard reported that no one inside the synagogue was injured. The synagogue confirmed that all 140 students, as well as staff, teachers, and “heroic security personnel,” are accounted for.
“The security staff did an amazing job, an amazing job,” Bouchard said at a press briefing Thursday evening. “They stopped the threat.”
During the attack, the building caught fire, resulting in the transport of 30 law enforcement officers to the hospital for smoke inhalation treatment, as per Bouchard. The source of the ignition is still under investigation, he added.
“I also know you have a lot of questions. A lot of those questions can’t be answered at this point because it’s super preliminary in the investigation,” Bouchard said.
“Obviously, it’s a hateful, terrible thing, right? But what drove this person into action — that has to be determined by the investigation,” he added.
The sheriff said the suspect drove his truck into the building and down the hall.
Officials with the FBI Detroit field office held an active shooter prevention and preparedness training for the staff and clergy at Temple Israel in January, according to a social media post from the FBI.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement, “This is heartbreaking. Michigan’s Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace.”
President Donald Trump said he’s been “fully briefed” on the incident.
“I want to send our love to the Michigan Jewish community and all of the people in Detroit, Detroit area, following the attack on the Jewish synagogue,” Trump said during a women’s history month event at the White House.
“It’s a terrible thing,” he said.
