Active shooter at US synagogue; smoke billowing from building, police on scene

Police responded to reports of an active shooter at a synagogue outside Detroit on Thursday, with smoke seen rising from the roof of the building.According to WDIV-TV, quoted by the Associated Press, a truck crashed into the Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township. The scene had numerous police vehicles surrounding the synagogue as authorities responded to the incident.FBI director Kash Patel said federal agents were at the scene of what he described as an “apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter situation” at the synagogue.Authorities from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said officers were in the process of clearing the building. Meanwhile, several parents rushed to pick up their children from an early childhood learning centre located inside the complex after receiving clearance from police. The nearby West Bloomfield School District was also placed on lockdown as a precaution.Temple Israel describes itself on its website as the largest Reform synagogue in the United States, with around 12,000 members. The facility includes an early childhood education centre and hosts educational programmes for families and adults.According to its website, the synagogue is “passionate about helping Jewish communities across the globe” and its mission is to “create a community building through the lens of Reform Judaism.”