Multiple people were injured after a man shouting “Free Palestine” attacked a pro-Israel gathering with Molotov cocktails and incendiary devices in Boulder, Colorado, authorities said.
The incident took place at the Pearl Street Mall—a popular outdoor pedestrian area—during a weekly demonstration organized by Run for Their Lives, a group that walks in solidarity with Israeli hostages in Gaza.
According to Boulder Police, eight people aged 52 to 88 sustained injuries, including burns. The FBI is treating the incident as a suspected act of terrorism.
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Officials say the suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian national, used a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails in the attack. Witnesses reported chaos as Soliman, shirtless and screaming, hurled incendiary devices at the crowd. Footage circulating online shows smoke, people fleeing, grass on fire, and injured victims on the ground. In one clip, bystanders pour water on a woman lying injured.
Police responded to emergency calls at around 1:26 p.m. local time and arrested Soliman, who was also taken to hospital with injuries. Authorities revealed that Soliman entered the U.S. on a non-immigrant visa in 2022, which expired in February 2023. He had been residing in Colorado Springs.
FBI Denver Chief Mark Michalek stated, “This was a targeted act of violence,” adding that such attacks are becoming alarmingly frequent. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser condemned the act, describing it as a hate crime, and emphasized that “violence is never the answer.”
The attack marks the second major act of violence in the U.S. linked to the ongoing Gaza conflict in recent weeks. On May 22, a man shouting “Free Palestine” fatally shot two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C., at a Jewish networking event.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called the Boulder attack “pure antisemitism,” while Danny Danon, Israel’s UN ambassador, described it as terrorism and urged for strong action. “Terrorism against Jews does not stop at the Gaza border—it is already burning the streets of America,” Danon said.
