A gunman opened fire after a vehicle crashed into a synagogue in the US state of Michigan on Thursday, prompting a large police response and precautionary security measures at nearby schools.
Authorities said emergency calls were received shortly before 13:00 local time reporting that a car had rammed into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township.
Local media reported that the vehicle appeared to have been deliberately driven into the synagogue complex before catching fire. Shortly after the crash, gunshots were reported, prompting police to treat the situation as an active incident.
Police said the suspected gunman has not yet been apprehended and remains at large while officers continue searching the surrounding area.
Synagogue complex and community
The synagogue complex includes the Temple Israel Early Childhood Centre, which operates a kindergarten, preschool and daycare facility.ย
Temple Israel describes itself as the largest Reform synagogue in North America. The congregation was founded in 1941 and has about 12,000 members from roughly 3,500 families. The synagogue is located around 40 miles from downtown Detroit.
In a statement, Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said agents were responding to what he described as an apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter incident at the synagogue in West Bloomfield Township.
The incident also led to precautionary measures in nearby schools. The Bloomfield Township Police Department said schools in the Bloomfield Hills Schools district were placed in โsecure modeโ while officers investigated the situation.
A synagogue is a Jewish place of worship where people of the Jewish faith gather for prayer, religious services, study and community activities.
It functions similarly to a church for Christians or a mosque for Muslims. In a synagogue, Jews read from the Torah, the central religious text of Judaism, and hold religious ceremonies, festivals and community gatherings.
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