BOULDER, CO – Six individuals were injured, some severely burned, after a man allegedly used a makeshift flamethrower on participants of a pro-Israel rally in downtown Boulder on Sunday. The FBI has since labeled the incident a targeted terror attack.

Key Facts:

• Attack on Pro-Israel Rally: A man identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, allegedly attacked participants of a “Run for Their Lives” event on Pearl Street Mall, a weekly gathering advocating for the release of Israeli hostages.
• “Ideologically Motivated Violence”: The FBI is investigating the incident as an act of “ideologically motivated violence,” with witnesses reporting the suspect yelled “Free Palestine” and other anti-Israel slogans during the assault.
• Suspect’s Immigration Status: Authorities indicate Soliman, an Egyptian national, was in the U.S. illegally, having overstayed a B1/B2 non-immigrant visa that expired in February 2023, though he was granted work authorization in March 2023.

The attack unfolded around 1:26 p.m. local time when Boulder police were called to the county courthouse area following reports of a man with a weapon setting people on fire.

The Attack Unfolds

Calls to emergency services described a chaotic scene where a man was seen with a weapon, later identified as a makeshift flamethrower, and was actively setting people on fire. Upon arrival, police found multiple victims with injuries consistent with burns. The injured ranged in age from 67 to 88, with two airlifted to a Denver-area burn unit for serious injuries, while others received treatment for minor to serious burns at Boulder Community Hospital.

“Run for Their Lives” Targeted

The victims were participating in a “Run for Their Lives” event, a grassroots initiative that organizes walks and runs globally to call for the release of Israeli hostages held since October 7, 2023. Rachel Amaru, a leader of the Boulder chapter, stated that their walks are typically peaceful and that Sunday’s incident was a “blatant act of antisemitism.” Videos analyzed by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Center on Extremism captured the suspect shouting phrases such as “How many children you killed?” and “We have to end Zionists, they are killers.”

Investigation and Broader Implications

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Governor Jared Polis both condemned the attack, with Weiser stating it “appears to be a hate crime given the group that was targeted.” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino confirmed the investigation as an act of “ideologically motivated violence.”

The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was apprehended at the scene. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources indicate Soliman arrived in the U.S. on August 27, 2022, on a B1/B2 non-immigrant visa. His authorized stay expired on February 26, 2023, and he allegedly overstayed his visa, filing a claim (possibly for asylum) in September 2022 and receiving work authorization in March 2023, which expired in March of this year.

This incident follows other recent attacks targeting Jewish communities in the U.S., including a shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on May 21, and an arson attack on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence in April. These events have prompted increased security at religious sites, with the New York City Police Department boosting its presence for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.

Community Response and Future Safety

Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn stated that the area around the courthouse, including the Pearl Street pedestrian mall, was evacuated and remains under investigation due to a “vehicle of interest.” District Attorney Michael Dougherty confirmed that charges would be filed in the coming days to “hold the attacker fully accountable.” The “Run for Their Lives” weekly walk in Boulder has been canceled indefinitely following the attack. The Simon Wiesenthal Center CEO Jim Berk remarked that such attacks are a “direct result of months of anti-Israel propaganda, moral equivocation, and silence in the face of raging antisemitism.”