A male suspect was shot dead after crashing his truck through the entrance of a synagogue in the Detroit suburb of West Bloomfield on Thursday, with authorities reporting no serious injuries among worshippers, children or staff, though a security officer was struck by the vehicle and hospitalised.
Michigan State Police reported an active shooting incident at around 12:30pm local time at Temple Israel Synagogue. The suspect drove his truck through the building’s doors and down the hallway before being confronted by security personnel, who engaged him with gunfire. Whether he was killed by security or took his own life had not been determined at the time of reporting.
CNN, citing multiple law enforcement sources, reported that a large amount of explosives was found in the back of the suspect’s vehicle. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said investigators were still searching the vehicle.
“We have no victims, other than one of the lead security people who was hit by the car and was taken to the hospital for treatment. That individual should be okay,” Bouchard said.
Temple Israel, which has more than 12,000 members, operates an early-childhood centre serving children as young as six weeks old. Local media reported that children from the daycare centre, some of whom had escaped to nearby homes, were taken by bus to a nearby location to be reunited with their parents. Aerial footage showed plumes of smoke rising from the roof of the building as police and fire department vehicles converged on the scene.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed agents were on the scene alongside local partners, describing the incident as an “apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter situation.” The Jewish Federation of Detroit said its affiliated agencies had been placed in precautionary lockdown.
Jewish organisations across the United States have been operating under heightened security since US and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iran on 28 February. Over the past two years, anti-Jewish hate crimes have accounted for nearly two-thirds of religiously motivated hate crime incidents in the US, according to FBI data.
“Antisemitism has no place in Michigan and cannot be tolerated,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said. “In moments like these, it’s more important than ever that we come together, stand with our neighbours, confront hate whenever it appears, and build stronger communities.”
(Reuters)
