A man is dead after ramming his vehicle into a Michigan synagogue and exchanging gunfire with security, and federal agents have now taken over the investigation.
Authorities say the attacker drove a truck into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township on Thursday.
The vehicle smashed through doors and continued down a hallway inside the building before stopping. Security personnel confronted the driver and "engaged with the suspect" in gunfire, according to Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, according to ABC News.
Officials found the suspect's body inside the vehicle, which had caught fire after coming to a stop in the synagogue. Investigators have not yet determined whether he died from gunfire or another cause related to the incident. His identity and motive have not been released.
The FBI has assumed control of the case and is treating it as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community. Jennifer Runyan, the FBI special agent in charge of the Detroit office, said agents are leading the investigation and called the attack "deeply disturbing and tragic." Federal explosives and firearms experts are helping examine the vehicle and the weapon used, Yahoo News reported.
Temple Israel said in a statement that all 140 children in its early childhood center, along with teachers, staff, and security personnel, were safely accounted for. No congregants, staff members, or students were physically harmed. One security officer was struck by the vehicle, knocked unconscious, and taken to a hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening.
Local officials ordered residents within about a mile of the synagogue to shelter in place as law enforcement cleared the building and checked for additional threats. Other Jewish institutions in the Detroit area briefly went into lockdown as a precaution. Michigan State Police said they increased patrols at nearby places of worship following the attack, as per the Times of Israel.
