An attack on Sunday shook the Boulder, Colo. community, as eight individuals were wounded while attending a peaceful gathering calling for the return of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas into Gaza during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Here’s what to know about what took place in Boulder:
Authorities investigating as terror attack
The FBI and local authorities said on Sunday they are investigating the incident as a terror attack.
“We are aware of and fully investigating a targeted terror attack in Boulder, Colorado. 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 said in a statement posted to X.
“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 said in a post on X.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) called the incident a “heinous act of terror.”
“I am closely monitoring the situation in Boulder, and my thoughts go out to the people who have been injured and impacted by this heinous act of terror. Hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable,” Polis wrote on X.
Suspect allegedly used flamethrower, yelled ‘Free Palestine’
Authorities identified the suspect arrested on scene as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45.
FBI special agent in charge Mark Michalek said at an evening press conference that the suspect used a “makeshift flamethrower” and incendiary devices to attack the victims, as they attended a weekly walk to demonstrate solidarity with the hostages.
The attack took place at a pedestrian mall near 13th and Pearl streets.
Michalek said the suspect “was heard to yell ‘free Palestine,’” during the attack.
8 people injured
Eight people were injured in the attack, according to updated information from local police. Victims include four men and four women, who range in age from 52 to 88.
Initially, police confirmed six victims, ages 67-88, including two victims who had to be airlifted to a burn unit and four taken to a local hospital. One was possibly in critical condition at the time.
White House says suspect in US illegally
The White House said late Sunday that the suspect arrested in connection to the attack is an “illegal alien” who overstayed his visa.
“A terror attack was committed in Boulder, Colorado by an illegal alien,” Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security adviser, said in a statement on X.
“He was granted a tourist visa by the Biden Administration and then he illegally overstayed that visa. In response, the Biden Administration gave him a work permit. Suicidal migration must be fully reversed,” he continued.
Condemnation from Jewish groups
The local Boulder Jewish community said in a statement that the incident took place during a walk organized by Run for Their Lives, an organization that aims to raise awareness for hostages still held in Gaza.
“We are saddened and heartbroken to learn that an incendiary device was thrown at walkers at the Run for Their Lives walk on Pearl Street as they were raising awareness for the hostages still held in Gaza,” the statement read. “We don’t have all the details of what is unfolding, and we promise to keep our community informed.”
“Our hearts go out to those who witnessed this horrible attack, and prayers for a speedy recovery to those who were injured,” read the statement, which was signed by three rabbis of local congregations, two representatives of the Boulder Jewish Community Center (JCC), and a representative of the University of Colorado Boulder Hillel.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) CEO Jonathan Greenblatt condemned the recent “rage-filled, violent attacks” at Jewish gatherings and called on public officials to do more before “the crisis escalates even further.”
In a post Sunday on X, Greenblatt connected the Sunday attack in Boulder, Colo. to the killing of a young couple outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., last month. In both scenarios, the suspected perpetrators were heard to shout “free Palestine” during or after the attack.
“This is the second violent attack on the US Jewish community in two weeks,” Greenblatt wrote in a post on X. “First, a young couple slaughtered in DC. And now, a firebomb thrown at a group in Boulder, Colorado, as they gathered to express solidarity with the 58 hostages still being held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists.”
“Two peaceful Jewish events that ended with rage-filled, violent attacks,” he added.
Greenblatt also pointed to recent examples of vandalism and violence against Jewish people in places around the world.
“We’re witnessing a global campaign of intimidation and terror deliberately directed against the Jewish people,” Greenblatt said, adding, “Sadly, none of this is surprising. In fact, it’s entirely predictable. This is precisely where anti-Jewish incitement leads. This is exactly what vicious anti-Zionism enables.”