Many Injured After Man Throws Fire Bomb, Shouts 'Free Palestine' In US
Washington:
Police said a male suspect was taken into custody on Sunday after an attack that left multiple people with burns in Boulder, Colorado, in what the FBI director described as a "targeted" act of terror.
FBI Assistant Director for Public Affairs Ben Williamson said on X, a social media site, that the suspect "shouted 'Free Palestine' while throwing fire bombs at a crowd of Jewish people."
FBI Director Kash Patel described the incident as a "targeted terror attack," and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said it appeared to be "a hate crime given the group that was targeted." The FBI has identified the suspect as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Solima.
But Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said earlier in the day that information on the attack, which occurred near a demonstration to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza, was "very preliminary."
"This was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in downtown Boulder on Pearl Street and this act was unacceptable," he said. "I ask that you join me in thinking about the victims, the families of those victims, and everyone involved in this tragedy."
Pro-Hamas supporters should be categorized as domestic terrorists!! pic.twitter.com/cNLWq42Swm
— Jammles (@jammles9) June 1, 2025
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the United States over Israel's war in Gaza, which has spurred both an increase in antisemitic hate crime as well as moves by conservative supporters of Israel led by President Donald Trump to brand pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic. His administration has detained protesters of the war without charge and cut off funding to elite US universities that have permitted such demonstrations.
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.
She described seeing a man whom she presumed to be the attacker standing in the courtyard shirtless, holding a glass bottle of clear liquid and shouting.
"Everybody is yelling, 'get water, get water,'" Coffman said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a prominent Jewish Democrat, said he was closely monitoring the situation.
"This is horrifying, and this cannot continue. We must stand up to antisemitism."
The attack follows last month's arrest of a Chicago-born man in the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, DC Someone opened fire on a group of people leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group that fights antisemitism and supports Israel.
The shooting fueled polarisation in the United States over the war in Gaza between supporters of Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis posted on social media that it was "unfathomable that the Jewish community is facing another terror attack here in Boulder."
Redfearn said he was not able to identify the suspect yet, noting that he had been taken to hospital. He added there were multiple injuries among the victims, ranging "from very serious to more minor."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Thug Life Row: Ready to meet and discuss with Kamal Haasan, says KFCC after blocking film's release over actor's remark
The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) on Tuesday stated that it is open to discussions with veteran actor Kamal Haasan after his film Thug Life was blocked from release in Karnataka, reported PTI. While the film will not be hitting theatres in the state, it is set to release in the rest of India. KFCC also reiterates that Kamal Haasan must apologise for his 'Tamil-Kannada' remark. The controversy erupted after Kamal Haasan said "Kannada was born out of Tamil' at the audio release event of Thug Life. In a press statement, now KFCC stated that an emergency executive committee meeting of the film body was held on Tuesday after the Karnataka High Court issued its order on the petition filed by Raaj Kamal Films International. Earlier in the day, Kamal Hassan refused to apologise to the Court for his statement. He also proposed to have a dialogue with the Film Chamber in the matter. The court told Haasan, 'You may be Kamal Haasan or anybody, you cannot hurt the sentiments of the masses.' "In the meeting, we discussed everything that has happened so far, including Haasan's letter that talked about brotherly harmony, coexistence, love, trust, etc. Like him, we too want love and trust with the neighbouring states. But we have decided that unconditional apology is what the pro-Kannada organisations, the government and the entire people of the state want," the statement read. KFCC has urged Haasan to withdraw his statement -- Kannada born out of Tamil -- and render an unconditional apology. "This is also what has been discussed very seriously in the Karnataka High Court. Therefore, we have decided in Tuesday's meeting to urge him to withdraw the statement and apologise," KFCC stated, as quoted by PTI. Senior Advocate Dhyan Chinnappa clarified that Kamal Haasan's statement has been taken out of context. He said that the remark was made in the presence of a leading star from the Kannada film industry itself and submitted his client's official response to the matter. However, after going through the statement, the HC pointed out that it lacked any form of apology. Previously, the film body President M Narasimhalu said that Kamal Haasan must apologise to the people of Karnataka for his words before any further discussion could take place. "He has spoken about our language, and the government, pro-Kannada organisations, everyone is angry. He should apologise. Let him come and discuss," Narasimhalu said. He further added that the film body was not prepared to make any decisions or offer mediation without Haasan's apology.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Everyone wants Kamal Haasan to apologise, we are ready to meet and discuss': KFCC
The Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) is open to discussion with actor Kamal Haasan regarding the stalled release of his film Thug Life in the state. A storm erupted when Kamal recently said at an event that Kannada is born out of Tamil, inviting Kannadiga's fury. A PTI alert on Twitter read, 'If Kamal Haasan wishes, ready to meet and discuss.' However, they also added that everyone wants Kamal to apologise for his statement, something the actor has refused to entertain. In a press statement issued by KFCC, it is stated that an emergency executive committee meeting of the film body was held on Tuesday after the Karnataka High Court issued its order on the petition filed by Raaj Kamal Films International. "In the meeting, we discussed everything that has happened so far, including Haasan's letter that talked about brotherly harmony, coexistence, love, trust, etc. Like him, we too want love and trust with the neighbouring states. But we have decided that unconditional apology is what the pro-Kannada organisations, the government and the entire people of the state want," the statement read. KFCC has urged Haasan to withdraw his statement -- Kannada born out of Tamil -- and render an unconditional apology. "This is also what has been discussed very seriously in the Karnataka High Court. Therefore, we have decided in Tuesday's meeting to urge him to withdraw the statement and apologise," KFCC stated. Thug life will not be released in Karnataka on June 5, the scheduled date for the pan-India release of the much-anticipated movie, its producers informed the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday. When the matter came up for hearing before Justice Nagaprasanna, counsel for the petitioner maintained that there was no malice and an apology was not warranted and submitted that the screening of the movie would not be insisted upon in Karnataka till the issue gets resolved through dialogue. The court posted to June 10 further hearing of the petition by the production house, Raaj Kamal Films International, seeking adequate security for the movie's release in the state. During the hearing, filmmaker Haasan came in for strong criticism from the court for his remark suggesting that "Kannada was born out of Tamil," and the court observed that a "single apology could have resolved the situation." The petition was filed following widespread protest against the actor's recent remarks regarding Kannada language and a demand for his apology. Kamal, writing to Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), acknowledged the film body's concern and said: "It pains me that my statement at the Thug Life audio launch, spoken out of genuine affection for the legendary Dr Rajkumar's family, especially Shiva Rajkumar has been misunderstood and taken out of context." He said he only intended to convey that "we are all one, and from the same (linguistic) family," and did not mean to diminish the Kannada language in any way. "There is no dispute or debate on the rich legacy of Kannada language," he said adding he was writing out of deep respect for the people of Karnataka.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
What is the Muslim Brotherhood? Boulder suspect Mohamed Soliman praised radical Islamist group in disturbing posts
Boulder attack suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, had praised radical Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood on social media in the years before the Colorado incident. Several people were hospitalized with burns after Soliman tossed Molotov cocktails at a group that had gathered in support of Israeli hostages. Soliman, an Egyptian national identified by the White House as an 'illegal alien' who overstayed his visa, had filled his Facebook account with posts in support for the Muslim Brotherhood, CNN reported. The page was last updated a decade ago, and featured several photos of Mohamed Morsi, the group's leader. Morsi served as Egypt's president from 2012 to 2013, but was eventually ousted in a military coup. Morsi was Egypt's first democratically elected president. He rose to power after vowing to end autocracy and promising that a transparent government would respect human rights. However, protests that were soon held accused Morsi of seizing unlimited powers and using violence against opponents. He was also accused of imposing the Brotherhood's conservative brand of Islam. Soliman had shared posts backing the Muslim Brotherhood protests against Morsi's removal. One August 2013 post even featured a four-finger salute, a symbol that was used to show support for the Rabaa protest encampment, which was dispersed in the violence during the Morsi-linked unrest. After being arrested, Soliman told investigators that he wanted to 'kill all Zionist people,' according to the New York Post. He had been planning the attack for a year, according to prosecutors. The Muslim Brotherhood is Egypt's oldest and largest Islamist organization, and has offshoots throughout the Arab world. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, 'After the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak in the Arab Spring protests of 2011, the group's political arm won a plurality of seats in Egypt's lower house of parliament and its candidate, Mohammed Morsi, was elected president. But Morsi was ousted by the military in July 2013, and the Brotherhood's members were imprisoned, went into exile, or were forced underground.' It added, 'As part of a wide-ranging crackdown on political opposition, the Egyptian government has labeled the group a terrorist organization, as have Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). U.S. President Donald J. Trump has expressed interest in following suit, but many experts say a designation—whether of the original Egyptian group or of kindred groups throughout the region—would stretch the bounds of the law and also complicate U.S. diplomacy across much of the Middle East and North Africa.'
