Latest news with #Kayyem
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
FBI responds after CNN analyst criticizes Bureau for quickly classifying Boulder attack as terrorism
An FBI official responded sharply to CNN senior national security analyst Juliette Kayyem after she bashed the agency for quickly calling Sunday's anti-Israel firebombing attack in Colorado an act of terrorism. "The guy shouted 'Free Palestine' while throwing firebombs at a crowd of Jewish people. We correctly referred to an investigation of terrorism, will continue to do so, and we have zero interest in what either [of] these CNN guests have to say. Kick rocks," assistant director for public affairs at the FBI Ben Williamson posted on X in response to Kayyem's comments. Williamson's response was shared by FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino on his personal account. Kayyem slammed FBI Director Kash Patel's decision to label the firebombing of people who were rallying to support the release of Israeli hostages as a "terror attack," saying it made the FBI look "juvenile." 'Usaid' Paperwork Found In Car Of Boulder Terror Attack Suspect Targeting Pro-israel Group "It makes law enforcement look disorganized, and it makes the FBI look so juvenile, like, why are you getting ahead of the police chief who says, 'I don't know what this is,'" Kayyem said on CNN Sunday. Read On The Fox News App At a press conference a few hours after the attack, Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said his department wasn't calling the attack terrorism at that time, and it was too early to determine a motive for the attack. The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, is an Egyptian national who overstayed his travel visa but was subsequently granted a work visa by the Biden administration that expired in March, Homeland Security officials told Fox News. Soliman was arrested Sunday after allegedly setting his victims on fire using a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails as they peacefully participated in a "Run for Their Lives" community walk to raise awareness of Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas. The suspect allegedly plotted the attack for a year, waiting until his daughter graduated from high school before going on his rampage, according to a police affidavit. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture Soliman was caught on video yelling "free Palestine" and other anti-Israel slogans during the attack, which left 12 victims injured. Soliman later told police he wanted to kill "all Zionist people." Patel reacted to the attack on X, 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." Bongino said the attack is being investigated as an act of "ideologically motivated violence," based on early information, evidence and witness accounts. Kayyem, a Harvard professor who served as a Department of Homeland Security official in the Obama administration, dismissed Patel and Bongino as "two heads of the FBI who don't have a long history in law enforcement" and said she would only call the attack a hate crime after an investigation had been conducted. "But until we do, we all need to, to not follow the FBI's tweets," she said. The CNN law enforcement analyst's comments elicited fierce condemnation on social media. "When the evidence passed to our FBI leadership team, from an active crime scene, includes clearly ideologically-motivated statements, video, multiple witness accounts, Molotov cocktails, and large gatherings of like-minded people, we will INVESTIGATE those incidents as targeted acts of terror… Everyone is innocent until proven guilty in our justice system. But we are the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We are not the Federal Bureau of Word Games," Bongino posted Monday. Original article source: FBI responds after CNN analyst criticizes Bureau for quickly classifying Boulder attack as terrorism
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
FBI fires back after CNN analyst criticizes Bureau for quickly classifying Boulder attack as terrorism
An FBI official responded sharply to CNN senior national security analyst Juliette Kayyem after she bashed the agency for quickly calling Sunday's anti-Israel firebombing attack in Colorado an act of terrorism. "The guy shouted 'Free Palestine' while throwing firebombs at a crowd of Jewish people. We correctly referred to an investigation of terrorism, will continue to do so, and we have zero interest in what either [of] these CNN guests have to say. Kick rocks," assistant director for public affairs at the FBI Ben Williamson posted on X in response to Kayyem's comments. Williamson's response was shared by FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino on his personal account. Kayyem slammed FBI Director Kash Patel's decision to label the firebombing of people who were rallying to support the release of Israeli hostages as a "terror attack," saying it made the FBI look "juvenile." "It makes law enforcement look disorganized, and it makes the FBI look so juvenile, like, why are you getting ahead of the police chief who says, 'I don't know what this is,'" Kayyem said on CNN Sunday. At a press conference a few hours after the attack, Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said his department wasn't calling the attack terrorism at that time, and it was too early to determine a motive for the attack. The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, is an Egyptian national who overstayed his travel visa but was subsequently granted a work visa by the Biden administration that expired in March, Homeland Security officials told Fox News. Soliman was arrested Sunday after allegedly setting his victims on fire using a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails as they peacefully participated in a "Run for Their Lives" community walk to raise awareness of Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas. The suspect allegedly plotted the attack for a year, waiting until his daughter graduated from high school before going on his rampage, according to a police affidavit. Soliman was caught on video yelling "free Palestine" and other anti-Israel slogans during the attack, which left 12 victims injured. Soliman later told police he wanted to kill "all Zionist people." Patel reacted to the attack on X, 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." Bongino said the attack is being investigated as an act of "ideologically motivated violence," based on early information, evidence and witness accounts. Kayyem, a Harvard professor who served as a Department of Homeland Security official in the Obama administration, dismissed Patel and Bongino as "two heads of the FBI who don't have a long history in law enforcement" and said she would only call the attack a hate crime after an investigation had been conducted. "But until we do, we all need to, to not follow the FBI's tweets," she said. The CNN law enforcement analyst's comments elicited fierce condemnation on social media. "When the evidence passed to our FBI leadership team, from an active crime scene, includes clearly ideologically-motivated statements, video, multiple witness accounts, Molotov cocktails, and large gatherings of like-minded people, we will INVESTIGATE those incidents as targeted acts of terror… Everyone is innocent until proven guilty in our justice system. But we are the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We are not the Federal Bureau of Word Games," Bongino posted Monday.
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
CNN ripped after trashing FBI as ‘juvenile' for branding hate-fueled Colorado firebomb attack as terrorism
CNN has been blasted after one of the lefty outlet's commentators trashed the FBI as 'juvenile' for quickly branding the hate-fueled Colorado firebomb attack as terrorism. Juliette Kayyem, one of the network's national security analysts, came under fire after challenging FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino when they declared Sunday's violence at a pro-Israel rally in Boulder a 'targeted terror attack.' 'It makes law enforcement look disorganized and it makes the FBI look so juvenile, like why are you getting ahead of the police chief who says 'I don't know what this is,'' Kayyem said on air late Sunday in the wake of the incident. 'We're going to take a step back, not be responsive to tweets by two heads of the FBI who don't have a long history in law enforcement,' she continued. 'And we will wait and hope it isn't what we all worry it is — and if it is, then there'll be an investigation.' Kayyem, a former Department of Homeland Security official under President Barack Obama and current Harvard professor, added that if the probe found the violence was spurred by terrorism, she'd be the first to say it's a 'hate crime.' 'But until we do, we all need to, to not follow the FBI's tweets,' she said. The backlash again Kayyem was swift on social media, with many pointing to footage of the horror that showed the terror suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, screaming 'Free Palestine' before he blasted a crowd who were commemorating the Israeli hostages still in Gaza. 'The guy shouted 'Free Palestine' while throwing fire bombs at a crowd of Jewish people,' Ben Williamson, an assistant director for the FBI's public affairs unit, wrote on X. 'We correctly referred to an investigation of terrorism, will continue to do so and we have zero interest in what either these CNN guests have to say. Kick rocks.' Another raged, 'There's a man on video in Boulder ranting about Zionism as he sets Jews on fire. CNN's first reaction? Andrew McCabe and Obama official Juliette Kayyem bashing Dan Bongino and Kash Patel as 'juvenile' and 'irresponsible' for saying this was an 'act of terror.'' 'Juliette Kayyem's degrading remarks about the FBI, Patel, & Bongino is unacceptable. She must apologize to them publicly, then she should be fired. The people have had enough of the woke should be ashamed of itself,' one person added. Eight victims between 52 and 88 years old were hospitalized with varying injuries in the wake of Sunday's attack, authorities said. The shirtless firebug suspect, identified as an Egyptian national who had overstayed his visa in the US, was nabbed at the scene. No criminal charges were immediately announced but officials said they would move to hold Soliman accountable. The Post reached out to Kayyem but didn't hear back immediately. Originally published as CNN ripped after trashing FBI as 'juvenile' for branding hate-fueled Colorado firebomb attack as terrorism
