A suspect in a shooting at Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, was shot dead on Thursday, a law enforcement official said.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said the ​suspect breached the entrance to the building in his truck and drove the vehicle down the hall before being ​confronted by security. The synagogue houses an early childhood center.  The vehicle caught on fire after crashing into Temple Israel.

Bouchard said no children at the synagogue's early childhood center or staff were injured in the attack at the synagogue in the suburb of Detroit. One security officer was struck by the vehicle but did not suffer life‑threatening injuries.

"We can't say what killed him at this point, but security did engage the suspect with gunfire," Bouchard said. 

Heightened security at Jewish facilities

Temple Israel has more than 12,000 members; West Bloomfield has a significant Jewish population. 

Synagogues around the world have increased security since Iran war started last month.

The incident also comes amid heightened concerns about growing antisemitism in the United States. Over the last two years, anti-Jewish hate crimes accounted for nearly two-thirds of religiously motivated hate crime incidents, according to FBI data.

How have state and federal leaders reacted? 

“Antisemitism has no place in Michigan and cannot be tolerated," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. "In moments like these, it’s more important than ever that we come together, stand with our neighbors, confront hate whenever it appears, and build stronger communities." 

"Michigan's Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace," Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said on X.

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

US President Donald Trump, at the White House, called the attack a "terrible thing" and said, "We're going to get right down to the bottom of it."

"It's absolutely incredible that things like that happen," Trump said.  

The FBI said it has launched a probe into the West Bloomfield attack as a "targeted act of violence against the Jewish community."

Edited by: Louis Oelofse