logo
8 injured after man attacks Colorado crowd with firebombs

8 injured after man attacks Colorado crowd with firebombs

ARN News Center2 days ago

At least eight people have been injured after a 45-year-old man threw incendiary devices at demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, during a rally held to remember Israeli hostages held in Gaza, authorities said.
Eight victims aged between 52 and 88 years were transported to hospitals, the FBI special agent in charge of the Denver Field Office, Mark Michalek, said. At least one of them was in a critical condition, authorities said.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said it appeared to be "a hate crime given the group that was targetted".
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said he did not believe anyone else was involved. "We're fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody," he said.
The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district in the shadow of the University of Colorado, during an event organised by Run for Their Lives, an organisation devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized in the aftermath of Hamas' 2023 attack on Israel.
Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old at the University of Colorado who witnessed the Boulder incident, said she saw four women lying or sitting on the ground with burns on their legs. One of them appeared to have been badly burned on most of her body and had been wrapped in a flag by someone, she said.
The attack follows last month's arrest of a Chicago-born man in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump fires slew of pro-Israel officials in America First 'course correction'
Trump fires slew of pro-Israel officials in America First 'course correction'

Middle East Eye

time2 hours ago

  • Middle East Eye

Trump fires slew of pro-Israel officials in America First 'course correction'

US President Donald Trump's course correction of his foreign policy team is shifting into overdrive with Iran hawks and staunchly pro-Israel officials axed, including one who drew the ire of "America First" Trump allies. The officials being dismissed are all those with previous track records opposing what are shaping up to be Trump's most significant Middle East endeavours: swiftly lifting sanctions on Syria and negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran. The reshuffle comes after Trump's landmark visit to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar last month. In a speech in Riyadh, Trump tore into "interventionists" and the American "nation builders". Underscoring just how rapid the turnaround has been, the Middle East advisor at the White House National Security Council (NSC) who was photographed taking notes while Trump spoke to the leaders of Syria and Saudi Arabia in May was one of the officials fired. Eric Trager was notified late last month that he would be removed from his position, one former US official and one source with knowledge of the matter confirmed to Middle East Eye. His firing has been reported by several Israeli news sites. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The latter source said Trager was still working on the NSC for now. Trager is an Iran hawk. He also wrote a book criticising the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar. Unlike previous Middle East directors at the NSC, his influence in the White House was limited. US President Donald Trump meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. Eric Trager is behind the president on the right, on 14 May 2025 (Bandar al-Jaloud/Saudi Royal Palace/AFP) He was dismissed as part of a wider Trump shakeup at the NSC, which The New York Times reported will see the organisation's headcount cut in half. Another notable firing was Merav Ceren, the NSC director for Israel and Iran, in late May. Ceren's biography at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank states that she worked at the Israeli Ministry of Defence, where she participated in negotiations in the occupied West Bank between Israel's Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories, known as Cogat, and Palestinian Authority officials. Her appointment, first reported by Drop Site News in April, created a firestorm among America First media personalities. 'Neo-con Mike Waltz has now hired basically a dual citizen and former IDF official to work under him,' Conservative podcaster Clayton Morris, a former Fox News anchor, said in April, referring to Ceren. Some of Trump's most vocal defenders in the media, who exercise unprecedented influence in communicating his worldview, are media figures like Tucker Carlson and former advisor Steve Bannon. Morris is a friend of Carlson. Broad sweep The latest firings come after Trump brushed away his former national security advisor, Mike Waltz, by nominating him to be ambassador to the United Nations. Waltz was reportedly sidelined for consulting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on preemptively attacking Iran. 'Tensions between Trump and Netanyahu over Iran are real' - Marwa Maziad, Israel expert Trump's administration was divided between traditional Republican hawks and 'America First' isolationists like White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The latest firing underscores the "America First" bent of Trump's foreign policy team. The NSC isn't the only place Trump is cleaning house. On Sunday, Israel's Channel 14 reported that Morgan Ortagus, the deputy to US envoy Steve Witkoff and the official overseeing the Trump administration's Lebanon portfolio, will be leaving her position. One source briefed on her departure told MEE that Ortagus had irritated Witkoff, her de facto boss. Trump looking for 'Iran doves' Overall, Trump's sweeping dismissals reflect how he is upending the traditional ways Republican presidents approached the Middle East. It's unclear how much Trump himself cared about these specific positions or the officials who filled them. He has been relying on close friends like Witkoff to negotiate with Iran and, more recently, the US ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, to manage Syria. Some speculate that the shakeup is a natural outcome of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio taking over as temporary national security advisor after Waltz's departure. Both Trager and Ceren were part of Waltz's team. But the axed officials are all united by a common thread. They are traditional hawks who have supported Israel's offensives in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. All of the officials were critics of compromising with Iran to reach a nuclear deal. Trump announces pro-Israel commentator to Mideast post then ridicules her Read More » 'Trump's foreign policy team is undergoing a course correction in keeping with his own pivot,'Marwa Maziad, a professor of Israeli politics at the University of Maryland, told MEE. 'In March, Trump allowed [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to relaunch his offensive on Gaza. Trump was not in the driver's seat,' Maziad said. The pivotal change for his administration came in mid-May when he visited the Gulf, bypassing Israel to seal economic deals with oil-rich monarchs. Trump struck a unilateral ceasefire with the Houthis even as they continue to attack Israel, and made a historic announcement to lift all sanctions on Syria. But the main theatre of diplomacy is the Iranian nuclear deal. 'Whether the staff reshuffling is related to these officials' views on Israel or not is besides the point. The tensions between Trump and Netanyahu over a potential strike on Iran are real. Trump is trying to take the wheel back from Netanyahu,' Maziad said. On Monday, Axios reported that the Trump administration provided a proposal to Iran for a nuclear deal that allows them to enrich a low level of uranium. Trump later undercut the story on Monday, saying he would not allow enrichment at any level. But one source briefed on the firings told MEE that they appeared in keeping with a White House that is looking for officials to follow Trump's desire for a deal. 'They are looking for Iran doves and people aligned to Vance,' the source said, referring to US Vice President JD Vance, who has emerged as the most prominent opponent of US military intervention in the Middle East.

Marco Rubio's student visa pause makes no sense at all
Marco Rubio's student visa pause makes no sense at all

Gulf Today

time4 hours ago

  • Gulf Today

Marco Rubio's student visa pause makes no sense at all

Patricia Lopez, Tribune News Service This is a season of anxiety for international students in the US, who find themselves demonised by the Trump administration as it devises new ways to limit their numbers. The latest tactic came in a diplomatic cable from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to US embassies and consulates abroad, ordering a halt to the student visa interviews necessary to enter the country. The reason? An as-yet-undevised policy to further scrutinise the social media histories of students in a search for ... what exactly? No one seems quite sure. It was President Donald Trump who, in his first term, initiated screenings of student visa applicants' social media histories, looking primarily for terrorists or terrorist sympathiders. The policy became one of the few that was maintained by President Joe Biden when he succeeded Trump. In April of this year, Homeland Security said it also would begin monitoring international students' social media for evidence of antisemitism. That raised alarms among free-speech advocates because of the administration's tendency to conflate opposition to the Israeli government's policies or the war in Gaza with antisemitism. At the time, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement that the administration was 'pursuing witch hunts into American colleges.' Now comes another amorphous, arbitrary standard that, even before implementation, is sending shock waves through an already traumatised international student community. Rubio's 'pause' on new student visa interviews will last until his department issues 'guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applicants,' according to the cable. It does not specify what might disqualify an applicant or what the State Department will be looking for. It does not even say when the guidelines will be available nor when new interviews will resume, although on Thursday the department announced a pilot program to vet Harvard University's visa applicants for antisemitism. That cable advised those doing the vetting to consider 'whether the lack of any online presence, or having social media accounts restricted to 'private' or with limited visibility, may be reflective of evasiveness.' That is an unconscionable level of opacity for students whose biggest sin is wanting to come to the U.S. to further their education and who have a limited window in which to pursue such opportunities. Recall that the last administration-announced 'pause' was to the US Refugee Admissions Program back in January. That was four months ago. It's still in effect. Bizarrely, Rubio's decision even includes J-1 visa applicants for the State Department's own Exchange Visitor Program. Often those relate to cultural visits, summer work or other education-related travel. But that program also includes physicians and International Medical Graduates, who often serve in teaching hospitals and medically underserved rural areas or other hard-to-staff roles. These J-1 applicants already run a substantial gauntlet of vetting just to reach the interview stage. Finally, there is the conundrum of how the State Department will implement this enhanced vetting even as it plans huge cuts to its footprint and workforce. Trump earlier this year signed an executive order axing budgets at embassies and consulates. In April, CNN reported that according to internal State Department documents, up to 30 embassies and consulates overseas could be closed and others could see reductions. Those kinds of cuts are at odds with the plan to increase the vetting of international students, who already go through exhaustive checks in their attempts to enter the US. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is right when he says that 'all this is just going to scare people away from the United States, people that might come here, get an education, stay here, make some really important progress in some area ... It's just all wrong-headed.' Wisconsin alone had more than 15,000 international students in the 2023-24 school year, according to a study by NAFSA, the National Association of International Educators. That stimulated the state economy by an estimated $541 million. Multiply that by every state and it's easy to see the damage from restricting foreign students won't only be felt by colleges and universities. Fanta Aw, executive director of NAFSA, said in a statement that international students 'already represent the most tracked and vetted category of nonimmigrants in the United States,' calling the pause unnecessary and the additional scrutiny 'a poor use of taxpayer dollars.' And the State Department is unlikely to draw the line at students. Rubio could also easily crack down on business visas, tourist visas, H-1B work visas and others. Despite the fear fostered by the Trump administration's policies, the intellectual richness of an American education remains a potent draw. And while Trump may be happy to set the bar close to zero for foreign students, few outside his MAGA base would agree. The benefits the students bring are indisputable, both in talent and economic impact. The swelling numbers of international students over the last few decades affirm this nation's primacy, spreading American values through 'soft' diplomatic power. America First cannot become America Alone, isolated and parochial. Whether they remain here or return to their native countries, we should hope these international students remember their time here fondly — not with fear.

Greta Thunberg aboard Gaza flotilla: Doing nothing ‘is not an option'
Greta Thunberg aboard Gaza flotilla: Doing nothing ‘is not an option'

Middle East Eye

time5 hours ago

  • Middle East Eye

Greta Thunberg aboard Gaza flotilla: Doing nothing ‘is not an option'

From aboard a flotilla bound for Gaza, Greta Thunberg told Middle East Eye that while governments had failed Palestinians, it fell 'on us to step up and be the adults in the room'. The prominent Swedish climate activist spoke to MEE's live show from international waters in the Mediterranean Sea, where she said spirits aboard the Madleen - the latest vessel attempting to break Israel's siege on Gaza - were high. 'We are currently on our way towards Gaza as part of the Freedom Flotilla mission,' Thunberg said on Tuesday. 'Spirits are very high.' She and 11 other activists set off from Sicily on Sunday, carrying urgent supplies for besieged and starving Palestinians. The aid includes baby formula, flour, rice, diapers, women's sanitary products, water desalination kits, medical supplies, crutches, and children's prosthetics. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'We cannot sit by and allow this to happen. We are watching… a genocide happening, following decades and decades of systematic oppression, ethnic cleansing, occupation,' said Thunberg. 'We are just human beings, very concerned about what's happening, and do not accept what is going on.' Last month, another vessel organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), the Conscience, failed to continue its journey after being struck by two drones near Maltese waters. 'All evidence strongly suggests that it was Israel who did it,' Thunberg said. 'We are just human beings very concerned about what's happening and do not accept what is going on' - Greta Thunberg, activist She's well aware that such an attack could take place again. 'There is, of course, a big risk of being stopped on the way there,' the 22-year-old said. 'But we are trying to get to Gaza and planning for that. 'We are peaceful activists and volunteers, and we do not carry weapons. We are sailing peacefully on international waters, which is our right.' The vessel, which is being tracked live on the FFC's website for 'safety, accountability, and solidarity', is expected to reach Gaza in around seven days. FFC-organised ships have been attempting to break Israel's 18-year land, sea and naval blockade on the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades. In 2010, the Mavi Marmara flotilla mission was attacked by Israeli forces, who boarded the ship and killed ten activists. Since then, Israeli troops have frequently intercepted and seized vessels attempting to break the siege. Thunberg, named Time's Person of the Year in 2019 for her climate activism, remains undeterred. 'We have promised ourselves and we have promised the Palestinian people to do everything we can,' she said. 'When our governments are failing us… then it falls on us to step up and be the adults in the room.' Israel imposed a complete blockade on all humanitarian aid to Gaza for 11 weeks, before partially lifting it on 19 May to allow very limited United Nations aid deliveries, and a US-backed scheme widely panned as unworkable. 'I am so sorry we betrayed you' A number of commentators have mocked and threatened Thunberg and the other activists in recent days. Most notably, Lindsey Graham, the US senator, wrote on X: 'Hope Greta and her friends can swim!" Thunberg, who has been at sea for three days now, hasn't seen the posts. 'Luckily, I don't have access to social media here, so I don't get to see all that hate,' she said. 'It is very absurd that in times of genocide, policy makers who are complicit in this genocide are using this opportunity to spend their energy to try to mock people who are at least trying to do something.' She said that the international community had 'betrayed' Palestinians, not only by 'sitting doing nothing', but through active complicity. What is the Gaza freedom flotilla? Read More » 'Our governments, our institutions, our companies are supporting this genocide,' she said. 'It is our tax money. It is our media who are continuing to dehumanise Palestinians.' 'On behalf of the international community, the so-called western world, I am so sorry that we have betrayed you by not supporting you enough,' she added. Thunberg has been subjected to hate for her outspoken solidarity with Palestinians, after initially coming to the global public's attention for her vocal climate activism. But she says the two causes are inextricably linked. 'It's so weird to me that people are separating caring about the environment and the climate from caring about humans,' the activist said. 'We are standing up for justice, sustainability, liberation for everyone. There can be no climate justice without social justice.'

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