Federal authorities have classified an attack on a pro-Israel demonstration as an act of “targeted terror” after a man allegedly used a makeshift flamethrower and hurled an incendiary device into a crowd, injuring eight people at a popular outdoor mall on Sunday.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identified the suspect as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman. According to Mark Michalek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Denver field office, Soliman shouted “Free Palestine” during the assault on the demonstrators.
Soliman was apprehended at the scene and transported to a hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries, authorities confirmed.
The attack targeted demonstrators with “Run for Their Lives,” a volunteer organization that arranges runs and walks to advocate for the immediate release of Israeli hostages captured during the October 2023 incursion that initiated the Israel-Hamas war. The group had convened at the Pearl Street Mall, a well-known pedestrian hub in downtown Boulder.
The incident in Boulder occurs amid heightened global tensions and a documented spike in antisemitic violence in the United States connected to the war. The attack follows a separate event in Washington D.C. a week prior, where two Israeli Embassy staffers were fatally shot by a man who, as he was being arrested, reportedly yelled, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”
A tranquil evening on Boulder’s popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall was shattered Sunday when a man allegedly attacked multiple people with fire, leaving several hospitalized and prompting a federal terrorism investigation into the incident.
The chaotic scene unfolded as law enforcement evacuated several blocks, with officers and a K-9 unit scouring the area for additional threats. The atmosphere was tense as authorities instructed the public to steer clear of the cordoned-off streets.
The violence strikes a raw nerve in a community still healing from a mass shooting at a local grocery store four years prior, where ten people were killed.
Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn confirmed that several individuals, ranging in age from 52 to 88, were hospitalized with injuries consistent with being set on fire. The severity of the injuries ranged from minor to serious. “It would be irresponsible for me to speculate on motive this early on,” Redfearn told reporters, adding that a thorough investigation was underway and witnesses were being interviewed.
The suspect, identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was taken into custody at the scene. While formal charges were not immediately announced, officials have vowed to hold him “fully accountable.”
Eyewitness videos captured the suspect, shirtless and holding two clear bottles of liquid, shouting at onlookers. In one video, a bystander can be heard yelling, “He’s right there. He’s throwing Molotov cocktails,” as a police officer with his gun drawn advanced on Soliman.
On a federal level, the incident is being treated with high priority. The FBI announced it is investigating the assault as a potential act of terrorism.
“This act of terror is being investigated as an act of ideologically motivated violence based on the early information, the evidence, and witness accounts,” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino stated on social media platform X.
The Justice Department also condemned the “needless act of violence,” noting it “follows recent attacks against Jewish Americans.” This suggests a potential motive that federal investigators are actively pursuing.
