Gunman dead after attack on Michigan synagogue

An unidentified shooter was killed Thursday after exchanging gunfire with security in an attack on a synagogue on the outskirts of Detroit, Michigan, police said.

Police said the gunman was dead following the attack on the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield.

Police did not immediately confirm the death of the assailant but said no one else appeared to have been hurt.

Law enforcement officers flooded the area soon after the incident, amid heightened tension nationwide over the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

"At least one individual came to the temple," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told reporters. "Security saw him, engaged him in gunfire."

"Nobody at the moment has been confirmed to be hurt except potentially the shooter," Bouchard said. "We’re looking to see if it was more than one person."

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer condemned the attack on the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, a northwest suburb of Detroit.

"This is heartbreaking," she said. "Michigan's Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace."

"Antisemitism and violence have no place in Michigan," she said.

The sheriff said law enforcement had been on high alert since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran nearly two weeks ago.

"We've been talking for two weeks about the potential, sadly, of this happening," Bouchard said. "So there was no lack of preparation.

"All Jewish facilities in the area are going to have a lot of extra presence around it until we figure this out," the sheriff said.

Television images showed a massive law enforcement response in the area around the synagogue.

Smoke could be seen billowing from what appeared to be a fire in the building.

Local media reported that the assailant had first rammed a car into the synagogue.

The Jewish Federation of Detroit said Jewish agencies were in precautionary lockdown.

"We ask community members to stay away from the area at this time."

AFP