Latest news with #Shachar
New York Post
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Colorado firebombing victims, witnesses describe horrors of antisemitic attack: ‘The attacker wanted us to burn'
Survivors and witnesses of Sunday's horrific firebombing attack in Colorado recalled the savagery that erupted out of nowhere and injured 15 peaceful marchers advocating for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Run for Their Lives, a group that organizes weekly walks in support of those still in the clutches of the terror group, was targeted in Boulder with Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower by Egyptian national Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, who has since been charged with a hate crime. The evil incident unfolded just moments after co-organizer Omer Shacher, 34, told attendees they shouldn't fear taking to the streets in honor of the captives. Advertisement 'Just as I said that, the attacker wanted us to burn,' Shachar told The Wall Street Journal Wednesday. 'I don't know how to call it — ironic, absurd.' 3 Victim Natalya Reznik, who remains hospitalized in Aurora, Colo., with second-degree burns, recalled the horrific attack on her YouTube page. YouTube/@natalyareznik Advertisement Dmitriy Reznik, 57, a blogger who was walking with the group when the flames started flying, told The Journal he wasn't sure what was happening — even as he felt the intense heat. He pulled his wife, Natalya Reznik, 52, who was hunched over and screaming from a puddle of fire, and laid her in a nearby patch of grass. 'Her skin was peeling, and she was thirsty,' Dmitriy told the outlet Wednesday. Natalya was one of 15 injured in the attack and airlifted to a hospital in nearby Aurora, where she's still being treated for second-degree burns. Advertisement '21st century. Boulder, a liberal college town. Someone decided to burn the Jews. Thankfully, no one died,' she wrote on her Facebook page in Russian on Sunday night. She also shared her recollection of the day's unfathomable events on YouTube from her hospital bed. Authorities said Soliman disguised himself as a groundskeeper and lay in wait for the group, learning their location by stalking its Facebook page. He told investigators he had planned the attack for more than a year, initially hoping to pull off a mass shooting, but his immigration status thwarted his ability to obtain a gun. 3 Holocaust survivor Barbara Bandler Steinmetz, 88, (left), pictured with her daughter Julie Steinmetz Shaffer, was injured in the Boulder terror attack. Advertisement He was said to have shouted 'free Palestine' as he unleashed his fiery assault on the walkers, and later told cops he hated 'Zionist people' and 'wished they were all dead.' 'I remember thinking, a gardener on Sunday? I thought something was strange,' Shachar told the Journal. 'Of course, I couldn't tell it was a terrorist.' One of those injured was 88-year-old Holocaust survivor Barbara Steinmetz, described by Boulder Rabbi Marc Soloway as a 'loving and peaceful warrior and activist' spanning numerous causes. 'For someone to have survived the Holocaust and to see Jewish bodies burning on the ground, it's just the worst thing imaginable,' he said. Despite the hate-fueled attack, the community is pressing ahead with the previously planned Boulder Jewish Festival, albeit with a beefed-up security presence. Denver's chapter of Run for Their Lives will join in Sunday's event, which has been repurposed to honor those who were injured in last week's ambush. Advertisement 3 Alleged firebomber Mohamed Sabry Soliman faces more than 600 years in prison if convicted on all charges. 'There are 58 hostages in the Gaza Strip there against their will, held in tunnels by Hamas,' Shachar said. 'I don't see any reason to stop walking while there are still hostages there.' Soliman is facing federal hate crime charges and 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder. If convicted on all counts, he could spend the rest of his life in prison. He will appear in Boulder County Court on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. local time for a return of filing of charges.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Boulder suspect's wife, kids in ICE custody: DHS
The wife and children of Boulder, Colorado, terrorism suspect Mohamed Soliman are in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the family is being processed for expedited removal, according to a Department of Homeland Security official. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on social media on Monday, "In light of yesterday's horrific attack, all terrorists, their family members, and terrorist sympathizers here on a visa should know that under the Trump Administration we will find you, revoke your visa, and deport you." Soliman -- who was arrested after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails in an "act of terrorism" during a pro-Israel demonstration on Sunday -- has been in the U.S. on an expired tourist visa, officials said The father of five was granted a work permit, but that had also expired in March. Soliman was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years before moving to Colorado Springs three years ago, court documents said. Soliman allegedly said he had been planning the attack for one year but waited until his daughter graduated from high school last Thursday to carry it out, state and federal documents said. MORE: Boulder attack suspect charged with federal hate crime, said he 'wanted to kill all Zionist people': Court documents Omer Shachar, a co-leader of Run for Their Lives in Boulder, told ABC News he was standing in front of the group outside the Boulder courthouse Sunday afternoon when a man threw a Molotov cocktail under their legs. Shachar felt "panic right away" as his friends caught fire in front of his eyes. "They're literally on fire," he said. "I don't know if I can express it enough -- literally on fire and trying to pull my friend out of the fire." "Once someone could help her, I was reaching out to the [attacker] and try, I don't know what I thought, but maybe to tackle him ... but we saw that he's approaching to a container full of bottles and realized that it's not a good idea, so we stepped back," Shachar said. "We're trying to keep people away as much as possible, although some of them couldn't walk. One of them was on the ground where the fire is." Shachar said passersby stepped in with water bottles to try to help put out the blaze. Twelve people were injured, officials said. Two victims remain in the hospital. MORE: Holocaust survivor among the Boulder attack victims Authorities are reviewing a newly released video showing the chaos and panic in the attack's aftermath. Soliman, who allegedly disguised himself as a gardener during the attack, told police "he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead," court documents said. "SOLIMAN stated he would do it (conduct an attack) again." He "said this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine)," documents said. Shachar said Run for Their Lives holds a peaceful walk every Sunday to raise awareness about the hostages who remain held in Gaza by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023. Participants include those who are "Jewish and non-Jewish, right and left, Israelis and non-Israelis, Americans and non-Americans," he said. "And people are coming for the same cause -- to bring those hostages back home." Shachar said he hopes the group can return to their walks soon. "At the moment, Run for the Lives, the international group, asked to stop walking until we understand better safety arrangements and security arrangements," he said. "However, personally, I will say that as long as we can do it, and as long that we're working with the police and we can do it, I will walk until the last hostage is back home." MORE: How the Boulder attack highlights the danger to soft targets: Analysis Soliman had taken a concealed carry class to learn how to fire a gun, but "had to use Molotov cocktails [for the attack] after he was denied the purchase of a gun due to him not being a legal citizen," state court documents said. Sixteen unused Molotov cocktails were within "arm's reach" of the suspect when he was arrested, FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said on Monday. The unlit Molotov cocktails were "comprised of glass wine carafe bottles or Ball jars containing clear liquid and red rags hanging out of the bottles," court documents said. Police also found a "backpack weed sprayer, potentially containing a flammable substance. The clear liquid in the glass bottles and weed sprayer were determined to be 87 octane gasoline, which was determined to contain xylene." Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime and state charges including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to court documents. He appeared in court virtually on Monday. He has yet to enter a plea.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Boulder suspect's wife, kids in ICE custody: DHS
The wife and children of Boulder, Colorado, terrorism suspect Mohamed Soliman are in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the family is being processed for expedited removal, according to a Department of Homeland Security official. Soliman -- who was arrested after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails in an "act of terrorism" during a pro-Israel demonstration on Sunday -- has been in the U.S. on an expired tourist visa, officials said The father of five was granted a work permit, but that had also expired in March. MORE: Boulder attack suspect charged with federal hate crime, said he 'wanted to kill all Zionist people': Court documents Soliman was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years before moving to Colorado Springs three years ago, court documents said. Soliman allegedly said he had been planning the attack for one year but waited until his daughter graduated from high school last Thursday to carry it out, state and federal documents said. Omer Shachar, a co-leader of Run for Their Lives in Boulder, told ABC News he was standing in front of the group outside the Boulder courthouse Sunday afternoon when a man threw a Molotov cocktail under their legs. Shachar felt "panic right away" as his friends caught fire in front of his eyes. "They're literally on fire," he said. "I don't know if I can express it enough -- literally on fire and trying to pull my friend out of the fire." "Once someone could help her, I was reaching out to the [attacker] and try, I don't know what I thought, but maybe to tackle him ... but we saw that he's approaching to a container full of bottles and realized that it's not a good idea, so we stepped back," Shachar said. "We're trying to keep people away as much as possible, although some of them couldn't walk. One of them was on the ground where the fire is." Shachar said passersby stepped in with water bottles to try to help put out the blaze. Twelve people were injured, officials said. Two victims remain in the hospital. MORE: Holocaust survivor among the Boulder attack victims Authorities are reviewing a newly released video showing the chaos and panic in the attack's aftermath. Soliman, who allegedly disguised himself as a gardener during the attack, told police "he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead," court documents said. "SOLIMAN stated he would do it (conduct an attack) again." He "said this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine)," documents said. Shachar said Run for Their Lives holds a peaceful walk every Sunday to raise awareness about the hostages who remain held in Gaza by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023. Participants include those who are "Jewish and non-Jewish, right and left, Israelis and non-Israelis, Americans and non-Americans," he said. "And people are coming for the same cause -- to bring those hostages back home." Shachar said he hopes the group can return to their walks soon. "At the moment, Run for the Lives, the international group, asked to stop walking until we understand better safety arrangements and security arrangements," he said. "However, personally, I will say that as long as we can do it, and as long that we're working with the police and we can do it, I will walk until the last hostage is back home." MORE: How the Boulder attack highlights the danger to soft targets: Analysis Soliman had taken a concealed carry class to learn how to fire a gun, but "had to use Molotov cocktails [for the attack] after he was denied the purchase of a gun due to him not being a legal citizen," state court documents said. Sixteen unused Molotov cocktails were within "arm's reach" of the suspect when he was arrested, FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said on Monday. The unlit Molotov cocktails were "comprised of glass wine carafe bottles or Ball jars containing clear liquid and red rags hanging out of the bottles," court documents said. Police also found a "backpack weed sprayer, potentially containing a flammable substance. The clear liquid in the glass bottles and weed sprayer were determined to be 87 octane gasoline, which was determined to contain xylene." Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime and state charges including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to court documents. He appeared in court virtually on Monday. He has yet to enter a plea.
4 days ago
- General
Boulder group leader recounts 'panic' as attack unfolded: 'They're literally on fire'
As his friends caught fire in front of his eyes in Boulder, Colorado, Omer Shachar felt "panic right away" and said he knew he had to help extinguish the flames. Shachar, a co-leader of Run for Their Lives in Boulder, told ABC News he was standing in front of the group outside the Boulder courthouse Sunday afternoon when a man threw a Molotov cocktail under their legs. "They're literally on fire," he said of the walk participants. "I don't know if I can express it enough -- literally on fire and trying to pull my friend out of the fire." "Once someone could help her, I was reaching out to the [attacker] and try, I don't know what I thought, but maybe to tackle him ... but we saw that he's approaching to a container full of bottles and realized that it's not a good idea, so we stepped back," Shachar said. "We're trying to keep people away as much as possible, although some of them couldn't walk. One of them was on the ground where the fire is." Shachar said passersby stepped in with water bottles to try to help put out the blaze. Authorities are reviewing a newly released video showing the chaos and panic in the attack's aftermath. The suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Soliman, was apprehended after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails in an "act of terrorism" during the pro-Israel demonstration, officials said. Twelve people were injured, officials said. Soliman allegedly told police "he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead," federal court documents said. "SOLIMAN stated he would do it (conduct an attack) again." He "said this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine)," the state documents said. Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime and state charges including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to court documents. He appeared in court virtually on Monday. Shachar said Run for Their Lives holds a peaceful walk every Sunday to raise awareness about the hostages who remain held in Gaza by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023. Participants include those who are "Jewish and non-Jewish, right and left, Israelis and non-Israelis, Americans and non-Americans," he said. "And people are coming for the same cause -- to bring those hostages back home." Shachar said he hopes the group can return to their walks soon. "At the moment, Run for the Lives, the international group, asked to stop walking until we understand better safety arrangements and security arrangements," he said. "However, personally, I will say that as long as we can do it, and as long that we're working with the police and we can do it, I will walk until the last hostage is back home."
