WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. — An attacker armed with a rifle was killed after ramming his vehicle into one of the nation’s largest Reform synagogues Thursday in what federal investigators said was an act of violence targeting the Jewish community.

Jennifer Runyan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit field office, said at a news conference on Thursday called the incident “deeply disturbing and tragic” and said the FBI was leading the investigation.

The agency considered the crime a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community,” she said. Investigators have not determined a motive yet.

The vehicle caught fire after crashing into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, just outside Detroit, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to the AP.

None of the synagogue’s staff, teachers or the 140 children at its early childhood center were injured, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said.

The attacker drove through a set of doors and into the hallway where something in the vehicle ignited, Bouchard said.

“He was traveling with purpose down the hall, from my look at the video,” Bouchard said.

In the minutes after the attack, smoke billowed from the synagogue. One security officer was hit by the vehicle and knocked unconscious but did not suffer life-threatening injuries, the sheriff said. Some 30 law enforcement officers were treated for smoke inhalation.

The synagogue has multiple security officers, he said, and at least one fired at the suspect, who was found dead inside his vehicle.

“We can’t say what killed him at this point but security did engage the suspect with gunfire,” the sheriff said, adding that it was possible the attacker killed himself or died some other way.

Bouchard said that he has reached out to communities in the areas surrounding the temple that has “significant houses of worship” and large Jewish populations to offer resources.

“This community takes care of each other,” Bouchard said.

He credited preparation and training for the swift response to the threat, saying that he had contacted the head of security for the temple just two days before the attack.