Armed man ‘rammed vehicle into Michigan synagogue and was shot dead by security’

A man armed with a rifle rammed his vehicle into one of the US’s largest reform synagogues, in a Detroit suburb, and was shot dead by security on Thursday, The Associated Press has learned.

The vehicle caught fire after crashing into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The AP.

The attacker drove through a set of doors and into a hallway where something in the vehicle ignited, a sheriff said.

“He was traveling with purpose down the hall, from my look at the video,” Oakland County sheriff Mike Bouchard said.

Investigators were still working to identify the man and a possible motive for the attack, said the person who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

In the minutes after the attack, smoke billowed from the synagogue, which also houses an early childhood centre.

“No kids or no staff were injured whatsoever,” Mr Bouchard said. He said one security officer was hit by the vehicle and knocked unconscious but did not suffer life-threatening injuries.

The synagogue has multiple security officers, he said, and at least one fired at the suspect, who was found dead inside his vehicle.

“We can’t say what killed him at this point but security did engage the suspect with gunfire,” the sheriff said, adding that it was possible the attacker killed himself or died some other way.

Synagogues around the world have been on edge and ramping up security since the US and Israel launched a war with Iran with missile strikes on February 28.

The FBI has warned that Iranian operatives may be planning drone attacks on targets in California.

On Thursday, the Oakland County sheriff’s office cleared the building and about a dozen parents sprinted to get their children from the early childhood learning centre inside. West Bloomfield School District went into lockdown.

Authorities were working to reunite parents with their children at a nearby Jewish Community Centre.

Oakland County is Michigan’s second-largest county with roughly 1.3 million people. The majority of Detroit-area Jewish residents live there.

Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer said she was tracking developments.

“This is heartbreaking,” Ms Whitmer said. “Michigan’s Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace.”

Temple Israel has 12,000 members. according to its website. It offers educational programmes for families and adults.

The website says the synagogue is “passionate about helping Jewish communities across the globe” and that its mission is to “create a community building through the lens of Reform Judaism”.

The Jewish Federation of Detroit advised all Jewish organisations in the area “to go into lockout protocol – nobody in or out of your building.” The organisation later lifted its advisory.