By COLLEEN SLEVIN and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ, Associated Press
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A man armed with a makeshift flamethrower and other incendiary devices launched a fiery attack on demonstrators in Colorado who were calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. Eight people were injured and the FBI described the violence Sunday as a “targeted terror attack.”
The suspect, identified by the FBI as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, yelled “Free Palestine,” according to Mark Michalek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Denver field office. Authorities believe Soliman acted alone.
How did the attack unfold?
Authorities said the attacker targeted volunteers with Run for Their Lives, which organizes running and walking events to call for the immediate release of Israelis being held in Gaza. The hostages were captured by Hamas during an incursion into southern Israel in 2023 that precipitated the latest Israel-Hamas war.
The group had gathered at the Pearl Street pedestrian mall, a four-block area in downtown Boulder frequented by tourists and students.
Witnesses said the suspect first used the flame thrower, then threw two Molotov cocktails into the crowd. Soliman was arrested at the scene.
Video from the scene shows a shirtless Soliman shouting at onlookers while holding two clear bottles containing a transparent liquid. 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.
An FBI affidavit shows that police found at least 14 more unlit Molotov cocktails at the scene.
One witness, Alex Osante, said Soliman appeared to catch himself on fire during the attack. A booking photo shows him with a bandage over one of his ears. Police said he was taken to the hospital after he was arrested but haven’t described his injuries.
What was his motive?
Witnesses said Soliman yelled “Free Palestine” as he launched the attack.
Once in custody, he told investigators “he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” that he specifically targeted the Run for Their Lives group and that he researched and planned the attack for more than a year, according to court documents.
“This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated violence based on the early information, the evidence, and witness s. We will speak clearly on these incidents when the facts warrant it,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a post on X.
The Israel-Hamas war has inflamed global tensions and contributed to a spike in antisemitic violence in the United States. A week earlier, two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot to death in Washington, D.C., by a man who yelled “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza” as he was led away by police.
Who is Soliman and what charge does he face?
The Justice Department — which leads investigations into acts of violence driven by religious, racial or ethnic motivations — called the attack a “needless act of violence” and charged Soliman with a federal hate crime Monday morning.
The FBI affidavit said Soliman, of Colorado Springs, confessed to the attack. Court records show he was scheduled to appear in state court in Boulder on Monday afternoon.
Soliman was born in Egypt and he moved three years ago to Colorado Springs, where he lived with his wife and five kids, according to state court documents. He previously spent 17 years living in Kuwait.
The Department of Homeland Security said Soliman filed for asylum in September 2022 and has been living in the U.S. illegally since his visa expired in February 2023.
Soliman also worked as an Uber driver and had ed the company’s eligibility requirements, which include a criminal background check, according to a spokesperson for Uber.
An online resume under Suliman’s name says he was employed by a Denver-area health care company working in ing and inventory control, with prior employers listed as companies in Egypt. Soliman listed Al-Azhar University, a historic center for Islamic and Arabic learning located in Cairo, on the resume.
Who was injured?
The people injured in the Pearl Street attack range in age from 52 to 88. Their injuries — some serious and some minor — were consistent with reports of people being set on fire, Redfearn said.
Photos from the scene showed a burning woman lying on the ground in a fetal position and a man helping to put out the flames using a jug of water.
“The immense wave of positive messages we’ve received is another signal of the health and strong spirits of our community,” Rabbi Yisroel and Leah Wilhelm, directors of the Rohr Chabad House at the University of Colorado said in a statement. “We encourage everyone to respond energetically to this attack by celebrating Shavuot joyously, by attending the reading of the Ten Commandments, and by recommitting to the heritage and traditions we hold so dear.”
Rodriguez reported from San Francisco.
