What we know about the attack against a group of demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado
BOULDER Colo AP Six people calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza were injured Sunday at an outdoor mall in Boulder Colorado by a man who police say used a makeshift flamethrower and hurled an incendiary device into a crowd The FBI instantly described the matter as a targeted terror attack The suspect identified by the FBI as -year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman yelled Free Palestine during the attack on the group of demonstrators commented Mark Michalek the special agent in charge of the FBI s Denver field office Soliman was arrested and taken to the hospital for medication but executives didn t elaborate on his injuries Here is what we know about the attack What happened at the outdoor mall Soliman attacked demonstrators with a volunteer group called Run for Their Lives which organizes run and walk events to call for the immediate release of the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza since a war between Israel and Hamas sparked in executives mentioned The group had gathered at the Pearl Street pedestrian mall a four-block area in downtown Boulder popular with tourists and students The Israel-Hamas war continues to inflame global tensions and has contributed to a spike in antisemitic violence in the United States It occurred more than a week after the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington by a Chicago man who yelled I did it for Palestine I did it for Gaza as he was being led away by police Police in Boulder evacuated multiple blocks of the pedestrian mall The scene shortly after the attack was tense as law enforcement agents with a police dog walked through the streets looking for threats and instructed the constituents to stay clear Our agents and local law enforcement are on the scene already and we will share updates as more information becomes available FBI Director Kash Patel posted on social media The violence comes four years after a shooting rampage at a grocery store in Boulder about miles kilometers northwest of Denver that killed people The gunman was sentenced to life in prison for murder after a jury rejected his attempt to avoid prison time by pleading not guilty by reason of insanity Who are the casualties Those injured range in age from to authorities explained All were hospitalized Photos from the scene indicated a woman lying on the ground in the fetal position with her hair soaked and a man helping her and getting water from someone with a water jug The injuries agents revealed were consistent with reports of individuals being set on fire Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn revealed adding that injuries ranged from serious to minor Redfearn narrated reporters Sunday evening that it was too early to discuss a motive but that bystanders were being interviewed It would be irresponsible for me to speculate on motive this early on he declared Who is the suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman was arrested at the scene No charges were instantly disclosed but authorities declared they expect to hold him fully accountable Video from the scene indicated him shirtless and wearing jeans and holding two clear bottles with a transparent liquid in them while shouting at onlookers Another video shows a witness shouting He s right there He s throwing Molotov cocktails as a police officer with his gun drawn advanced on the suspect FBI leaders in Washington noted they were treating the Boulder attack as an act of terrorism and the Justice Department which leads investigations into acts of violence driven by religious racial or ethnic motivations decried the attack as a needless act of violence which follows fresh attacks against Jewish Americans This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated violence based on the early information the evidence and witness accounts We will speak clearly on these incidents when the facts warrant it FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced in a post on X Source
