Sarah covered the Boulder terror attack last night. An Egyptian national, Mohamad Soliman, firebombed a pro-Israel gathering near Pearl Street Mall. We have some new details. Soliman chanted “Free Palestine” during the attack before using a variety of incendiary devices, including a makeshift flamethrower. That weapon was later revealed at an FBI presser, where we learned the bureau is investigating this crime as an act of terrorism. (via NYT):
JUST IN: FBI confirms the suspect in the Colorado terrorist attack yelled “Free Palestine” as he lit innocent people on fire.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 2, 2025
Here are the updates:
- The suspect has been identified as 45 year old Mohamed Sabry Soliman.
- There are six victims, ages 67 to 88.
- Subject used… pic.twitter.com/mNEQHi248Z
A man used a “makeshift flamethrower” to attack a group of pro-Israeli demonstrators in downtown Boulder, Colo., on Sunday, the authorities said, sending six people to the hospital with burns and other injuries.
Witnesses said the man yelled “Free Palestine” and threw an incendiary device into the crowd, according to Mark Michalek, the F.B.I. special agent in charge. He identified the suspect in custody as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, of Colorado Springs. No charges had been filed, officials said.
Here’s what to know:
The victims: The victims ranged in age from 67 to 88 and their injuries ranged from serious to minor, the authorities said. Two were airlifted to a burn unit at a hospital in the Denver area, officials said.
Calls for help: Calls about an emergency on the Pearl Street pedestrian mall near Boulder’s county courthouse came in starting at 1:26 p.m. local time, Boulder’s police chief, Steve Redfearn, said in a news conference. Initial reports mentioned a man with a weapon and said people were being set on fire. Chief Redfearn said investigators were not entirely certain of what happened, but the report was “fairly consistent with the injuries that we found on scene.”
Suspect arrested: The suspect, Mr. Soliman, was taken into custody after witnesses pointed him out, the chief said. Videos on social media showed a man, shirtless and holding two bottles, shouting while bystanders helped injured people nearby. Patches of grass in front of the courthouse were on fire.
A peaceful gathering: The victims were participating in Run for Their Lives, a weekly event that has brought attention to the Israeli hostages being held in Gaza since the Thanksgiving after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel. “Our walk has been nothing ever but peaceful, and this was a blatant act of antisemitism on the streets of Boulder,” said Rachel Amaru, a leader of the group.
“Appears to be a hate crime”: The attorney general of Colorado, Phil Weiser, a Democrat, said in a statement that “this attack appears to be a hate crime given the group that was targeted.” He added, “People may have differing views about world events and the Israeli-Hamas conflict, but violence is never the answer to settling differences.”
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Mohammad Soliman just lit a bunch of elderly Jews on fire in Colorado while shouting "Free Palestine"
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 1, 2025
Police: "Too early for a motive" pic.twitter.com/qElnrTTzwS
No, there's no 'appears to be a hate crime' here, Mr. DA. It's an act of antisemitic terrorism. It's a terror attack; there was a flamethrower? It's unreal that some cannot see what's clear as day here.
NEW: A Holocaust survivor was among those burned the suspected terror attack in Boulder, according to a friend of the victim who spoke with 9NEWS' @angelinemcccall.
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) June 2, 2025
This is a decent rundown from the Times, though that’s not saying much. CBS and NBC News opted to sanitize their headlines for obvious political reasons. The Times’ headline could’ve been better—'6 People Burned in Attack on Event for Israeli Hostages in Colorado—but at least it didn’t say “Gaza hostage awareness marchers,” which is the word choice NBC News used instead of Jewish people.
Six people were injured in the attack; ages range from 67 to 88. One of the victims who was burned is a Holocaust survivor. Mr. Soliman is in the country illegally. He overstayed his visa.
Biden imported a terrorist.
Translation:
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) June 2, 2025
Biden imported a terrorist. https://t.co/IrgvrM6NrL
***
The media reaction has been as expected:
Headlines like this are why I left public radio. This is from Colorado’s NPR network.
— Olivia Reingold (@Olivia_Reingold) June 2, 2025
No mention of antisemitism or even Israel. pic.twitter.com/YROA7YN3cq
Which @cnn editor signed off on the quotation marks? And what about the demonstration was not peaceful until the Molotov cocktails were thrown at the seniors? https://t.co/mtRs1TchmN
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) June 2, 2025
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