A Michigan synagogue attack on Thursday prompted the St. Petersburg Police Department to increase patrols at local temples.
According to a spokesperson for the department, Chief Anthony Holloway had already ordered additional directed patrols at local synagogues and the Florida Holocaust Museum at the start of the war in Iran. He ordered an increase to those directed patrols on Thursday.
Michigan synagogue attack
The attack happened Thursday afternoon at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
Authorities said a man, who was armed with a rifle, drove a car into the building, down a hallway and through the doors of the synagogue. The car then caught fire after something was ignited inside it, the local sheriff said.
The man was found dead in the car, though it’s unclear how he died.
According to authorities, private security guards at the synagogue engaged in gunfire with the man. One security guard was injured and taken to a hospital, where he is expected to survive.
No children or staff were hurt, although about a dozen parents sprinted to get their children from an early childhood learning center inside the building after getting approval from police.
Footage from the scene shows dozens of police vehicles surrounding the building, which had smoke billowing from the roof.
FBI Director Kash Patel said agents were responding to the scene.
Temple Israel describes itself as the nation’s largest Reform synagogue and says its congregation includes 1% of all Reform Jews in North America. It offers educational programs 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.”
TEGNA Digital and the Associated Press contributed to this report.