logo
"Terrorism Against Jews": Israel's UN Envoy Condemns Colorado Attack

"Terrorism Against Jews": Israel's UN Envoy Condemns Colorado Attack

NDTV3 days ago

Colorado:
Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, has condemned the violent attack on a group of Jewish demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, as an act of terrorism following an incident where a man hurled Molotov cocktails at participants of a peaceful rally calling for the safe return of hostages from Hamas captivity.
The attacker, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was taken into custody following the assault, which left several individuals injured.
The protest, organised by the group Run For Their Lives, was held near the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall and was intended to raise awareness about the hostages still being held in Gaza amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
In a post on X, Ambassador Danon wrote, "Terrorism against Jews does not stop at the Gaza border -- it is already burning the streets of America. Today, in Boulder, Colorado, Jewish people marched with a moral and humane demand: to return the hostages."
"In response, the Jewish protesters were brutally attacked, with an attacker throwing Molotov cocktails at them. Make no mistake - this is not a political protest, this is terrorism. The time for statements is over. It is time for concrete action to be taken against the instigators wherever they may be," he added.
According to eyewitnesses and video footage circulating online, Soliman was seen shouting "Free Palestine" and "End Zionists... they are terrorists" as he used a makeshift flamethrower on demonstrators.
Wearing only jeans and sunglasses, the suspect appeared to directly target the peaceful crowd, raising fears of escalating hate crimes linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Fox News reported, citing sources from the Department of Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that Soliman is an Egyptian national who had overstayed his visa after entering the United States during the Biden administration.
The Pearl Street Mall, a bustling four-block area in downtown Boulder, quickly turned into a scene of chaos following the attack. Authorities responded promptly, and Soliman was apprehended at the scene.
FBI Director Kash Patel acknowledged the Boulder attack in a post on social media, stating, "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."
The incident has sparked fresh concerns over rising antisemitic violence across the United States.
Just over a week earlier, two staff members at the Israeli embassy in Washington were fatally shot by a Chicago man who shouted, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza" as he was taken into custody.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump's travel ban: After restricting entry of people from 19 nations, President says this country is next
Trump's travel ban: After restricting entry of people from 19 nations, President says this country is next

Time of India

time33 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Trump's travel ban: After restricting entry of people from 19 nations, President says this country is next

US President Donald Trump has imposed a sweeping new travel ban affecting 19 countries and now even warned that Egypt could be added to the list next following a violent attack in Colorado involving an Egyptian national, as per a report. Donald Trump's Widespread Ban Targets 19 Nations In a video message posted by the president after the ban was announced, he said, "We don't want 'em," adding, "Very simply, we cannot have open migration from any country where we cannot safely and reliably vet and screen," quoted Daily Mail. The new restrictions, set to take effect June 9, will ban or severely limit entry into the United States from countries where the screening and vetting capabilities are not up to the president's standards, which has put Egypt on high alert, according to the report. 12 Countries Face Full Travel Ban The order completely bans nationals from 12 countries from entering the US, which includes Afghanistan, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, reported Daily Mail. Partial Restrictions for 7 Others Seven more nations, like Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, will face partial travel bans, as per Daily Mail. Citizens of the countries will be partially restricted from travelling into the US, removing access to all immigrant visas and several non-immigrant travel options, according to the report. Egypt Under Close Watch Following Colorado Attack Trump also pointed to the recent Colorado incident, where an Egyptian national Mohamed Soliman allegedly threw a firebomb at pro-Israel demonstrators while staying in the US illegally, as per Daily Mail. Live Events Soliman, reportedly living in the United States with his wife and five children, who have overstayed their visa, as per the report. The president cited the Egyptian national's action as example of what happens when foreign nationals are not properly vetted. Trump said the "tragedy in Boulder underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted," quoted Daily Mail. He also highlighted that, "We've seen one terror attack after another from foreign visa overstayers... thanks to Biden's open door policies today there are millions and millions of these illegals who should not be in our country," as quoted in the report. Meanwhile, the US president has asked several of his top national security chiefs to investigate and decide if Egypt should also be added to the list of banned countries, reported Daily Mail. Security Chiefs Tasked with Reviewing Egypt's Screening Trump wrote in a proclamation, "In light of recent events, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of National Intelligence, shall provide me an update to the review of the practices and procedures of Egypt," and added that he hopes their efforts will "confirm the adequacy of its current screening and vetting capabilities," quoted Daily Mail. FAQs Why is Trump banning people from these 19 countries? Trump says the countries don't have strong enough vetting processes, which could allow dangerous individuals to enter the US. Why is Egypt being considered for the ban now? An Egyptian national living illegally in the US allegedly carried out a violent attack in Colorado, raising concerns about Egypt's vetting procedures .

Why is Columbia University's accreditation under threat from the Trump administration?
Why is Columbia University's accreditation under threat from the Trump administration?

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Why is Columbia University's accreditation under threat from the Trump administration?

FAQs Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Trump's administration is trying to take away Columbia University's accreditation because it says the university didn't protect Jewish students properly. This move could stop Columbia students from getting federal loans and aid, which would make it super expensive and hard to attend for many students, as per Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Columbia ignored the harassment of Jewish students after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. McMahon called Columbia's actions 'immoral' and 'unlawful', saying the university didn't follow anti-discrimination laws. She wrote a letter to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, saying Columbia doesn't seem to meet the standards needed to stay accredited, according to an NDTV World accreditation is super important because it decides if a school can get federal money from the US Education Department. Columbia already lost $400 million in federal grants and contracts earlier in February 2025 due to how it handled antisemitism issues. Even though Columbia made changes, like fixing its Middle Eastern Studies department, the Trump team was still not satisfied, as per the report by has also gone after other universities like Harvard, blaming them for not protecting Jewish students during protests over the Israel-Gaza war. The whole situation is part of Trump's bigger fight with top US colleges, accusing them of being unfair and not doing enough to stop antisemitism, as stated in the Trump administration believes that the university failed to curb anti-semitism in the might not get federal loans or aid, making it very expensive to study there.

Trump's travel ban has come full circle
Trump's travel ban has come full circle

Indian Express

time2 hours ago

  • Indian Express

Trump's travel ban has come full circle

All the build-up around immigration in the last 100 days of the second Donald Trump administration has now culminated in the US President's decision to sign an executive order banning the entry of citizens from 12 countries into the US. These countries are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Trump's executive order lists seven additional countries — Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela — for partial restriction of the entry of nationals. The travel ban, in some ways, overlaps with the one in 2017, which the Joe Biden administration eventually reversed. The renewed ban has new facets. New additions to the list — such as Afghanistan, Myanmar, Republic of the Congo, Haiti, and Turkmenistan — suggest that Trump has focused on entry restrictions on people from regions engulfed in conflict or those reeling from the impact of past ones. This slight shift from the last ban (seen as a 'Muslim' ban) has both security and legal considerations. Trump has invoked national security, counterterrorism, and public safety provisions to justify it. Specifically, Trump has based his decision on Executive Order 14161, signed on January 20: Protecting the United States from foreign terrorists and other national security and public safety threats. It says that the administration 'must ensure that admitted aliens and aliens otherwise already present in the United States do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles, and do not advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists or other threats to our national security.' The legal basis for the ban appears to be stronger than the last one. It is expected to withstand legal scrutiny because entry restrictions have now been tied to the broader spectrum of illegal immigration, national security, rising gang violence, visa overstay, the possibility of conflict in other countries reaching the shores of the US, and the alleged rise of antisemitism. In what could turn out to be a strong precedent in this case, the US Supreme Court had upheld Trump's travel ban in 2018. Although this move was in the pipeline for months, the recent attack in Boulder, Colorado by an Egyptian immigrant on a group of people protesting for the release of the hostages taken by Hamas, may have hastened the decision. Trump's decision to take action against the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, along with deportations of illegal immigrants with criminal records to high-security prisons in other countries such as El Salvador, also reflects his urgency to revise the socio-political milieu of the US. Trump has referred to Europe as a case in point and how marked changes have ensued in the continent in the last decade due to mass migration, especially from regions of conflict such as Syria. US Vice President J D Vance's speech at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year exemplified this policy assertion, along with one to deviate from its historical relationship with Europe. It remains to be seen whether the policies of the second Trump administration are consolidated over successive presidencies or if they will be reversed in the next 30-odd months. Apart from the fact that much of the intended policy changes will be contested in US courts, the first serious test will be the midterm elections. Until then, an oversized executive is certainly redrawing the arc of American politics, both at home and abroad. For a nation built and strengthened by immigrants, some of the Trump administration's immigration and visa policies risk upending the American Dream for millions who look to the US with hope. A policy of bans could also undermine America's competitive edge in skilled labour and manufacturing — especially at a time when Trump is pushing for increased domestic manufacturing and onshoring. While it may be time to revisit some of America's longstanding immigration policies, Trump must be cautious not to compromise security for short-term economic gains, particularly by overlooking states that openly sponsor terrorism, such as Pakistan. The writer is Visiting Fellow, ORF America and Deputy Director, Strategic Studies Programme, ORF

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store