amna: Today, two violent attacks left communities in separate states on edge with investigators searching for answers.

In Michigan, a driver ran a truck into a synagogue and school.

Geoff: No one but the gunman was killed but law enforcement officials told reporters they believe he had a large amount of explosives in the vehicle and earlier in Virginia, a universe - - university campus was once again the scene of deadly gunfire.

FBI officials say the gunman wanted it to be similar to the fort hood shooting into thousand nine.

Rotc students subdued and killed the shooter.

Officials say they are investigating a shooting this morning at old dominion university as a possible act of terrorism.

Authorities say the gunman killed one person and wounded two others.

The gunman was also killed in the shooting.

It wasn't immediately clear how he died.

The gunman opened fire shortly before 11:00 A.M.

Eastern on the Norfolk campus.

He was a former National Guard member who previously served prison time after pleading guilty for attempting to aid ISIS.

Hen in Michigan, a vehicle crashed into temple Israel in Detroit, Michigan, the nation's largest reform synagogue which houses an on-site preschool.

The suspect drove a car into the synagogue building before security guards opened fire.

>> Can't say what killed him, but security did engage the suspect with gunfire.

He breached the building, drove down the hall and was engaged by security.

Geoff: Smoke could be seen from pouring out of the synagogue's roof as officers wearing respirators secured the building.

One security guard knocked unconscious is expected to recover.

None of the 140 children of the school or any of the teachers were hurt.

>> There were multiple security officers on the scene and the one who was hurt was pulled from the scene.

Geoff: Several synagogues across North America have been targeted in recent weeks including in Toronto.

Fficials were prepared for the potential of violence and FBI agents had trained for an active shooter in January.

>> There is communication, extra patrol, that was leading up to this.

Hey had communicated directly with their head of security.

Geoff: There are no ongoing threats to the community and temple Israel called its security personnel heroes.

Amna: For more today, I'm joined by Juliette kayyem former assistant dhs secretary during the Obama administration.

Let's begin with the university shooting in Virginia.

We have the suspects name from officials now.

We know a former army national guardsmen with a previous conviction in 2016 a providing material support to ISIS.

What do you take away from this?

Juliette: He was recently released and he was not purged of his interests in ISIS and in violence.

How you put that together with his target, we do not know yet.

It just may be that this was a target-rich environment, university, and he went in to kill.

The good news in both instances, they minimized the harm due to the quick actions by rotc students apparently leading to no additional casualties and that is how you judge success, can you minimize the harm?

Right now, the linkage between why this location at this time, we do not know yet.

Amna: Let's turn after the Michigan synagogue attack.

As you have previously noted, synagogues have been on high alert for years.

Synagogues shouldn't have to be fortresses you wrote, but they do have to maximize defense.

It does seem like the armed guards played a role in minimizing the harm.

How do you see that?

Juliette: That is absolutely right.

As far as we know, the car was a weapon of mass destruction that comes into the building and then the perpetrator, the terrorist wanted to kill lots more people including likely children.

It was a quick action by several internal security officers that essentially minimize the harm in this instance.

Of course I'm not talking about the emotional harm impacting members of that jewish community there, but obviously throughout the United States.

T is fair to raise the possibility that this is laded - - related to islamic terrorism given the focus of the synagogue at this time in the threat environment.

T is a threat environment for islamic related terrorism.

Whether it is state-sponsored or someone who has been radicalized.

I will say, the environment is so high we sometimes exact motive of that particular individual we do not know.

We know many countries are impacted by the war as it is related to what is happening in Iran or the goal for Lebanon, we do not know at this stage.

Every law enforcement person I've talked to, this is the thing they fear the most, that the war unleashes something predictable.

Hat is terrorism inspired by Islam.

Amna: We know officials with the Michigan synagogue attack going to be briefing updates online.

Juliette, as someone who has worked in this space and studied this space, how are investigators approaching these incidents if there is a common thread between both of them are not to try to prevent similar attacks from happening in the future?

Juliette: There are a variety of ways.

They will look at the connections between the two, but given the Mo of each, it is hard to see whether there is a direct connection, it may just be timing and coincidence.

It is defense right now, it is fortifying institutions that we think might be subject to harm or focus.

That is not just the U.S.

Stuff like embassies, it is synagogues or places of worship it is not good that we have to do this, it is the threat the jewish community has faced, but it is important we do so now.

Someone may have known, we call it spillage.

Hey showed an interest in what they have not before.

Maybe guns are noticed in the room.

This is something where law enforcement is dependent on the community around these people, whether it is a social community, family community, or religious community where they say something is different about this individual.

Mna: Always good to speak with you and get your expertise, thank you so much.

Juliette: Thank you.