Security guard opens fire after truck rams Michigan synagogue.

By MITCH SMITH and JULIE BOSMAN

A security guard opened fire on a driver who rammed a truck into a synagogue outside of Detroit on Thursday, authorities said. No one inside the building at the time, including students at the synagogue’s preschool, appeared to have been injured.

Sheriff Michael Bouchard of Oakland County, Michigan, said at a news conference that “at least one individual came to the temple; security saw him, engaged him in gunfire.” He said it was too soon to determine a motive.

Noah Arbit, a Michigan state representative and member of the synagogue, Temple Israel of West Bloomfield Township, said a town official had told him that the driver released some sort of explosive projectile after ramming the building. Law enforcement officials did not immediately confirm that account.

Bouchard said everyone at the preschool had been moved out of the building. “Nobody at the moment has been confirmed to be hurt, except potentially the shooter,” the sheriff said.

Here are the details:

— The synagogue: Temple Israel, about 25 miles from downtown Detroit, is one of the largest Reform synagogues in the country, with thousands of families. It houses a preschool and a museum with artifacts of Jewish history. Aerial footage broadcast by WDIV-TV in Detroit showed black smoke billowing from one of the doors and from the roof of the synagogue.

— Security measures: The synagogue has robust security in place, including armed guards, Arbit said. “I would be lying if I hadn’t thought about how I would respond and what it would be like if this happened at Temple Israel,” he said while driving to the scene.

— Federal and state response: Agents of the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Michigan State Police were also engaged in the investigation. The State Police said law enforcement would be increasing patrols at other places of worship.