Man firebombs pro-"Israeli" rally in US

Roya News

2 days ago

During a demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, a man allegedly shouted "Free Palestine" and hurled incendiary devices into a crowd gathered to show support for "Israeli" captives still held in Gaza, Reuters reported.
Eight people, including four men and four women aged between 52 and 88, were injured in the attack and transported to local hospitals, according to Boulder police. Earlier reports had cited six injuries, including at least one critical case.
Federal authorities have called the act deliberate. "As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism," said Mark Michalek, special agent in charge of the FBI's Denver Field Office.
The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, was taken into custody after being hospitalized for injuries sustained during the incident. The FBI said it believes he acted alone. "We're fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody," Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn stated.
The attack occurred at the Pearl Street Mall, a well-known pedestrian area near the University of Colorado. The event was organized by Run for Their Lives, a group that has been holding weekly demonstrations since the October 2023. In a statement, the organization said this was the first violent episode they had encountered.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser both labeled the incident as an "act of terrorism", with Weiser adding that it appeared to be a hate crime "given the group that was targeted."
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos. University of Colorado student Brooke Coffman said she saw several women with visible burns. One woman, she recalled, appeared to be severely burned and was wrapped in a flag by someone nearby. Coffman also reported seeing a shirtless man holding a glass bottle of clear liquid and shouting before the incident.
"Everybody is yelling, 'get water, get water,'" she said.
"Israeli" Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the attack on X, calling it a 'terrible antisemitic terror attack' and 'pure antisemitism.' US Senator Chuck Schumer echoed that sentiment, writing, 'This is horrifying, and this cannot continue. We must stand up to antisemitism.'
Political fallout quickly followed. Stephen Miller, a former deputy chief of staff to Donald Trump, claimed on X that Soliman had overstayed his visa and blamed immigration policies of the previous administration for enabling the attack. "It is further evidence of the need to fully reverse suicidal migration," he wrote. The Department of Homeland Security said it would release more information about Soliman's immigration status as it became available.