6 SHOT, 1 FATALLY AT SEATTLE JEWISH CENTER

By TIM BOOTH, Associated Press Writer 50 minutes ago

SEATTLE - A man walked into a Jewish organization Friday afternoon and opened fire, killing one woman and injuring at least five others before he was arrested, officials said.

The gunman, who employees said claimed to be a Muslim angry at Israel, forced his way through the security door at the Jewish Federation after an employee had punched in her security code, said Marla Meislin-Dietrich, a co-worker who was not at the building at the time.

Staff members said they overheard him saying "'I am a Muslim American, angry at Israel,' before opening fire on everyone," Meislin-Dietrich said. "He was randomly shooting at everyone."

Police would not confirm the account.

David Gomez, an FBI assistant special agent in charge of counterterrorism, said investigators believe the gunman targeted the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.

"We believe at this point it's a lone individual acting out antagonism toward this particular organization," Gomez said.

Authorities have been advising synagogues and Jewish groups to be watchful in the weeks since hostilities erupted between Israel and Lebanon.

The federation's Web site describes its mission as "to ensure Jewish survival and enhance the quality of Jewish life by meeting needs locally, in Israel and worldwide."

Jim Pugel, an assistant police chief, said the shooter called 911 and was talked out of the building.

Police blocked off several city blocks and evacuated several nearby buildings as they investigated. A SWAT team searched the federation building, looking for any other victims or any other possible shooters, police spokesman Rich Pruitt said.

But Pruitt said investigators were confident that the man they had in custody was the only suspect.

Patti Simon was at work at the federation's newspaper on the first floor when she heard the commotion and what sounded like furniture crashing on the second floor.

"We heard this horrible screaming on the floor above us and shots," said Simon, 52, who sells advertising at the paper. "We didn't know what was happening."

Simon called up to her co-workers on the second floor, but got no answer, so she called the police and fled the building.

"People got shot, some of our co-workers," Simon said, her voice shaking. "I just got back from Israel and made it out of there a half hour before the rockets started."

A small pool of blood remained outside a nearby coffee shop, where several witnesses said they saw a man walk up and shoot a woman in the leg on a sidewalk.

One person died at the scene of the shooting, and five women ranging in age from 19 to 43 were taken to Harborview Medical Center, three of them in critical condition, Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick said. Deanna Nollette, a police spokeswoman, said the deceased was a woman who was shot.

The names of the victims were not immediately released.