SEATTLE -- A gunman who said he was "angry at Israel" walked into a Jewish group's building in downtown Seattle Friday afternoon and opened fire, killing one person and wounding five others in what Mayor Greg Nickels called a "purposeful, hateful act."

Officers quickly took a man into custody and began searching for a possible accomplice while medics arrived en masse to treat and transport victims. Police evacuated the area and closed streets for the investigation.

The gunman forced his way through the security door at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle at 4 p.m. after an employee had punched in her security code, Marla Meislin-Dietrich, a database coordinator for the center, told The Associated Press.

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

One staff member who was shot twice escaped through the back door, said Meislin-Dietrich, who was working away from the office and relaying information provided by coworkers who were at the building.

Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick said one person died at the scene of the shooting. Deanna Nollette, a police spokeswoman, said the deceased was a woman who was shot.

Five women were taken to Harborview Medical Center, three of them in critical condition after being shot in the abdomen, hospital spokeswoman Pamela Steele said. Two others were in satisfactory condition: a 37-year-old woman, five months pregnant, who had been shot in the forearm; and another woman who was shot in the knee, Steele said.

David Gomez, an FBI assistant special agent in charge of counterterrorism, said investigators believe the gunman targeted the federation.

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

Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said the case is being investigated as a hate crime. The suspect is a U.S. citizen who is not from Seattle.

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The shooting happened at 4 p.m. at the federation’s offices on Third Avenue near Virginia Street.

Callers reported the shooting at 4:03 p.m., a police official told reporters. Minutes later, a 911 call came from the suspect, who claimed he had hostages. A police sergeant got on the phone with the man and persuaded him to go outside and give himself up.

Officers searched buildings in the area of the shooting to make sure there was no other gunman, but by 5:45 p.m. a spokesman said officers were confident that only one man was involved in the shooting spree.

A vehicle police believe belongs to the gunman -- a white Mazda pickup with Washington license plates -- was checked for explosives and towed away.

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

The Police Department will investigate along with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.

A bulletin went out to local police, notifying officers of addresses of Jewish centers in the area, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported.

In Tacoma, police stood outside a synagogue as Friday night services got under way.

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."

The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle was a sponsor of an Israel solidarity rally on Mercer Island last Saturday, KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reported.

Patti Simon was at work at the federation's newspaper on the first floor when she heard screaming, shots and what sounded like furniture crashing on the floor above.

"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."

Simon said the federation has security in the building.

"Somebody must have lied their way in," Simon said.