3 days ago
Witnesses describe ‘terrifying' scene of attack at Pearl Street Mall in Boulder
DENVER (KDVR) — As people were dining and walking through the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder on Sunday afternoon, screams and flames broke out after a man allegedly threw a makeshift incendiary device into a group of people.
An investigation is underway and the suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was arrested. According to reports from police and the FBI, the group was part of a pro-Israel demonstration and the suspect was heard yelling 'Free Palestine' after throwing incendiary devices and using a makeshift flamethrower.
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Eight people were hurt with injuries ranging from minor to severe.
FOX31 spoke with multiple people who were in the area at the time and saw the incident unfold. Witnesses described feeling terrified, but that didn't stop them from doing what they could to help.
'We saw a fire and we saw a big cloud of smoke, so we ran over to it. As we got there, we saw this fire that was on the ground and it was spreading amongst the grass,' witness Matthew Chaudhary told FOX31 in an interview.
Rachel Navarro said she was walking on Pearl Street when she saw a fire erupt, and she ran over to help put out the fire.
'There was a man who was holding two spray bottles, seemingly with alcohol based on the smell, and he was trying to spray the fire to keep it going and he was yelling at people and threatening to spray people with the bottles,' Navarro said.
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She said she saw one woman who was on the ground severely injured, and two other women whose calves were burned and bleeding, so she stayed with them to help and called the police.
'It was very scary, but I'm glad that as far as we're aware, everybody is so far ok,' she said.
Alex Osante, a tourist who was in Boulder for the first time, told FOX31 that he was eating lunch at an Italian restaurant across the street when he saw a man throw what he described as a Molotov cocktail into a group of people, and chaos ensued.
Osante said he saw the man throw another bottle, but he caught himself on fire, so he took off his shirt. He said the man also took off what appeared to be some kind of vest under the shirt.
He said people were arguing, yelling and screaming, begging for water to douse on the woman who 'seemed like she was burning from head to toe.'
He gave the two waters that he had on his table and a water bottle to help out. He said he would usually run to assist, but not knowing what was happening or if someone had a gun, he said he stayed behind a ledge where he could seek protection.
'I was in shock as to what was happening right in front of me. It was devastating because I've never seen something of this caliber happen in front of my face, and then people asking me for help with water and wanting a solution to what was going on, but it was hard to tell what was happening,' he said.
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'We just gotta live every day like our last because you never know if it will be you know,' Boulder local Mason Morris said.
Sebastian Gold said he found out about the incident when his girlfriend called him from work and told him they couldn't go to the restaurant he was making reservations at because of the attack.
'It's just something you never think would happen, you know, and I know the community is going to come back, and Boulder Strong has always been a thing, but even more than ever now,' Gold said.
Sara Geller said she stopped telling people that she was Jewish on October 7. She told FOX31 she was terrified.
'It just makes me very terrified for my friends who go to synagogue every week because we're not actually — Jewish Americans aren't the ones murdering Palestinians, you know, we just want our hostages to come home so all war, and I mean like all war, can just cease,' Geller said.
Brian told FOX31 he was afraid of repercussions for his family. 'You see all these hate crimes that are going on around the country, things that are happening to Jews all around the country, and I've got two kids and despite my my initial instinct to run into this situation it's once I was there, I realized how dangerous it was, which is one of the reasons why I didn't go and and tackle this guy,' he said.
Witnesses expressed sympathy and hopes that the victims would make a full recovery. As of Monday afternoon, each of the victims are still alive and some were still being treated for burns in the hospital.
The FBI said the suspect was booked into Boulder County Jail on several charges, including first-degree murder. He was also charged with a federal hate crime. An FBI affidavit said Soliman confessed to the attack and allegedly told the police he would do it again.
According to the criminal complaint, the suspect told police he had been planning the attack for a year and waited until after his daughter's graduation to attack. He told investigators he researched and specifically targeted a 'Zionist group.'
The group whom he threw the makeshift flamethrower and incendiary device into were holding a demonstration, which the city of Boulder said is a weekly peaceful event. The demonstration was part of the Run for Their Lives organization, according to the complaint. The group hosts global running and walking events where local communities meet once a week to call 'for the immediate release of the hostages held by Hamas,' the website said.
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