6 injured in Colorado flamethrower attack on rally for Israeli hostages
BOULDER, Colo. — Six people were injured Sunday in what the FBI immediately described as a 'targeted terror attack' at an outdoor mall in Boulder, Colo., where a group had gathered to raise attention to Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
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The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, yelled 'Free Palestine' and used a makeshift flamethrower in the attack, said Mark Michalek, the special agent in charge of the Denver field office. Soliman was taken into custody.
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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
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 1, 2025
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Soliman was also injured and was taken to the hospital to be treated, but authorities didn't elaborate on the nature of his injuries.
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Video from the scene showed a witness shouting, 'He's right there. He's throwing Molotov cocktails,' as a police officer with his gun drawn advanced on a bare-chested suspect with containers in each hand.
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The attack took place at the popular Pearl Street pedestrian mall, a four-block area in downtown Boulder, where demonstrators with a volunteer group called Run For Their Lives had gathered to raise visibility for the hostages who remain in Gaza as a war between Israel and Hamas continues to inflame global tensions and has contributed to a spike in antisemitic violence in the United States. It occurred more than a week after the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington by a Chicago man who yelled 'I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza' as he was being led away by police.
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FBI leaders in Washington said they were treating the Boulder attack as an act of terrorism, and the U.S. Justice Department — which leads investigations into acts of violence driven by religious, racial or ethnic motivations — decried the attack as a 'needless act of violence, which follows recent attacks against Jewish Americans.'
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