Latest news with #StephenRedfearn
CBS News
5 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
What will Pearl Street security look like moving forward? Boulder police chief says "all hands on deck" for upcoming Jewish Festival
Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn had Pearl Street security on high alert Wednesday as local religious leaders and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis held a vigil recognizing Sunday's Molotov cocktail attack. CBS "We had snipers, we have a drone, drone team, we have SWAT guys. We have just a lot of uniform presence," Redfearn said. To address safety concerns from the community moving forward, Your Boulder County Reporter Sarah Horbacewicz asked how the chief plans to prevent future mass violence events in the city. "We've learned, and what I've learned, is you can never guarantee, with all the safety and security and all the cops in the world, we can't ever guarantee that something's going to be 100% safe," he said, and added: "Our goal when that happens ... is to minimize that impact. The guy had 16 other devices that he didn't throw." This attack also comes just four years after a mass shooting at a King Soopers grocery store in the city. And while very different events, the Boulder community is looking for ways to continue to heal from the trauma. Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn CBS "It is abnormal to have two mass violence incidents in a short period of time, very different in this case, but it's a lot for the community. It's a lot for our officers," he said. Wednesday's vigil continued as planned safely. Police are also already planning for extra security this coming Sunday when the Run For Our Lives group that was targeted will walk again during a long-planned Jewish festival. "I am certain Sunday will be a success, and that everybody can kind of hopefully, as each day goes by ... breathe a little bit easier, knowing that, you know, sadly, we know there'll be another attack somewhere else, and we just hope it's not here," said Redfearn. This also comes as Boulder police says they've seen an increase in antisemitic behavior. Redfearn says police had previously been in touch with Run For Our Lives but say they had no information of a threat on Sunday. "We knew (the walkers) were here. And so when that 911 call came in, and it's one of the reasons our officers were so quick in getting here, we knew that they're down here every Sunday, and there was a high likelihood they were targeted," he said. Law enforcement officers can be seen on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder on Wednesday. CBS The heightened police presence will continue to go beyond Pearl Street and extend to places of worship for both the Jewish and Muslim community in the city as well as at another vigil in the coming weeks. "No one should be harming any member of our community," Redfearn adding, "I think we find ourselves questioning, like, when is enough, enough, and hope to God we never get that call again."
Herald Sun
2 days ago
- Herald Sun
16 Unused Molotov Cocktails Found After Boulder Attack, Local DA Says
Law enforcement found 16 unused Molotov cocktails after the attack in Boulder, Colorado, that left several people injured on Sunday, June 1, local District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a press conference on Monday. Authorities also identified four additional victims in the attack, raising the total number of people injured to 12, Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said during the conference. Two of those victims are still in the hospital, he said. The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, is being charged with a federal hate crime, plus numerous state charges including eight counts of attempted murder, according to acting US Attorney for the District of Colorado J Bishop Grewell. 'According to our complaint, and the charges brought by DA Dougherty's office, Mr Soliman stated that he had been planning this attack for a year, and he acted because he hated what he called 'the Zionist group,'' Grewell said. Officials thanked community members who responded in the immediate aftermath of the attack and local law enforcement. Credit: City of Boulder via Storyful
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
What are Molotov cocktails, the weapon of war allegedly used by accused Boulder terror suspect?
Witnesses indicated that the suspect arrested in connection with the Sunday attack in Boulder, Colorado, utilized a makeshift flamethrower and tossed an incendiary device, according to the city and the Fbi. Press releases also noted that the suspect was heard yelling "Free Palestine," during the attack. Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said during a Sunday press conference that "a man was throwing Molotov cocktails and using other devices to hurt people." But what are Molotov cocktails? Mohamed Sabry Soliman: What We Know About Illegal Immigrant Accused In Colorado Terror Attack "The term typically refers to a glass bottle filled with flammable fluid and capped with a lit cloth fuse or wick soaked in alcohol. When thrown against a hard surface, the bottle breaks causing the wick to ignite the cocktail's liquid as well as its vaporized fuel," West Point Professor Sean Watts explained in a 2022 piece available on Read On The Fox News App Colorado Terror Attack Took Place At 'Run For Their Lives' Event Calling For Release Of All Hostages In Gaza Earlier this year, some U.S. soldiers learned about making Molotov cocktails from Estonian soldiers, and then hurled them into a wall, creating fiery explosions. Video footage shows what happens when the devices are used. Boulder Terror Attack Puts Biden-era Immigration Policies In The Hot Seat: 'Must Be Fully Reversed' None of the victims of the Colorado attack have passed away, the Boulder Police Department noted in a post on article source: What are Molotov cocktails, the weapon of war allegedly used by accused Boulder terror suspect?
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
What are Molotov cocktails, the weapon of war allegedly used by accused Boulder terror suspect?
Witnesses indicated that the suspect arrested in connection with the Sunday attack in Boulder, Colorado, utilized a makeshift flamethrower and tossed an incendiary device, according to the city and the FBI. Press releases also noted that the suspect was heard yelling "Free Palestine," during the attack. Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said during a Sunday press conference that "a man was throwing Molotov cocktails and using other devices to hurt people." But what are Molotov cocktails? "The term typically refers to a glass bottle filled with flammable fluid and capped with a lit cloth fuse or wick soaked in alcohol. When thrown against a hard surface, the bottle breaks causing the wick to ignite the cocktail's liquid as well as its vaporized fuel," West Point Professor Sean Watts explained in a 2022 piece available on Earlier this year, some U.S. soldiers learned about making Molotov cocktails from Estonian soldiers, and then hurled them into a wall, creating fiery explosions. Video footage shows what happens when the devices are used. None of the victims of the Colorado attack have passed away, the Boulder Police Department noted in a post on X.
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
Security tightened at Jewish center, Boulder on edge after fiery attack
Security tightened at Jewish center, Boulder on edge after fiery attack Show Caption Hide Caption FBI investigating 'attack at Colorado mall The FBI is investigating a report of a "targeted attack" in a Boulder, Colorado mall. BOULDER, Colo. − A pedestrian mall was quiet and some police barricades were being removed Monday, but many in the community remained on edge after a "targeted" terror attack by a man with a makeshift flamethrower and firebombs set eight people aflame and fueled chaos on the streets. The attack Sunday afternoon came as a group of demonstrators called for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. One of the burn victims is a Holocaust survivor, a local rabbi said. The suspect, identified by authorities as Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was taken into custody at the scene and was scheduled to appear in court Monday. The victims, ages 52 to 88, suffered injuries ranging from serious to minor, Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said Sunday. Police, in a brief statement Monday, said no victims had died overnight. The Boulder attack occurred at a "regularly scheduled, weekly, peaceful event," FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said. Anyone with videos, social media posts or digital recordings was asked to upload them at 'We stand in full solidarity with those targeted,' Michalek said. 'We will continue to ensure that justice is pursued swiftly, support is provided to victims and their communities, and preventative action is taken to protect everyone's safety.' 8 injured in Boulder: Group had gathered to support Israeli hostages Four miles from the scene of the attack, security was extra tight at the sprawling Boulder Jewish Community Center campus, where outdoor summer camp programs were being held under the watch of both police and armed private security. The JCC serves as a central hub for many area Jewish residents, and security guards are a regular at the JCC said they are still discussing how to best honor the victims of the attack and declined to comment publicly. "When events like this enter our own community, we are shaken. Our hope is that we come together for one another," center officials said in a social media post. "Strength to you all." The attack fell on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot and came less than two weeks after two Israeli Embassy aides were fatally shot outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and his girlfriend Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, were shot after a Young Diplomats reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee. The suspect in that attack, Elias Rodriguez, 31, chanted "Free Palestine, free Palestine," after being taken into custody by event security. He is charged with a long list of crimes including federal and local murder charges and the murder of foreign officials. The May 21 shooting is being investigated as a hate and terrorism crime. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday expressed solidarity with the victims who were attacked "simply because they were Jews. " He said he was confident U.S. authorities would prosecute "the cold blood perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law." "The antisemitic attacks around the world are a direct result of blood libels against the Jewish state and people, and this must be stopped," Netanyahu said in a statement. Soliman, of El Paso County, Colorado, was taken into custody after witnesses pointed him out, authorities said. He was booked on multiple preliminary charges including first-degree murder and using explosives or an incendiary device while committing a felony. Police said Soliman was injured in the incident and taken to a hospital to be medically evaluated before he was booked in the Boulder County jail. Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump's deputy chief of staff, said Soliman overstayed a tourist visa issued in 2022. "In response, the Biden administration gave him a work permit," Miller said in a social media post. "Immigration security is national security. No more hostile migration. Keep them out and send them back." Multiple outlets said Soliman is an Egyptian national, including CBS and Fox News, citing unnamed sources. FBI agents searched Soliman's home in El Paso County hours after the attack, the agency's field office in Denver said on X. Read more here. Soliman was in the United States on a B-2 tourism visa, according to Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. A B-2 visa is generally used for tourism and is issued by the State Department. In general, the visas are valid for six months and can be used for vacations, visiting relatives, medical treatment or participation in music, sports or events. The State Department issues millions of B-1 and B-2 visas each year. B-1 visas are similar to B-2 and allow for nonimmigrants to visit for six months for conferences and business reasons. Soliman entered the United States in August 2022 and his visa expired in February 2023. In addition, McLaughlin wrote on X that Soliman applied for asylum in 2022. That claim was likely still pending. As of March, the immigration court backlog was around 3.6 million cases, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. − Nick Penzenstadler Rabbi Israel Wilhelm, the Chabad director at the University of Colorado Boulder, told CBS Colorado the 88-year-old victim is a Holocaust refugee who fled Europe. Wilhelm described the woman as a "very loving person." Chany Scheiner, a friend of the victim, told KUSA-TV the woman is an 'amazing." "She has spoken at our synagogues as well as other synagogues and schools just about her background and the Holocaust and from her own perspective,' Scheiner said. 'Her life wasn't easy, but she is just a bright light. And anybody who is her friend is a friend for life.' The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the U.S. and around the world over Israel's military campaign in Gaza. The war has dragged on for 20 months, since the Hamas attack on Israeli border communites that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw more than 250 others dragged across the border into Gaza as hostages. The conflict has fueled antisemitic hate crime in the U.S. Reports of incidents of antisemitism rose for a second year in a row in 2024, according to an annual report released by the Anti-Defamation League in April. The controvery also has prompted supporters of Israel, including President Donald Trump, to brand peaceful, pro-Palestinian protests as antisemitic. Who is Mohamed Soliman? FBI raids home of suspect in Colorado terror attack Earlier Sunday, Boulder dispatch received several calls to the county courthouse at around 1:26 p.m. local time, Redfearn said. Initial reports indicated that there was a man with a weapon, and people were being set on fire at the scene. Responding officers encountered multiple victims who were injured with wounds consistent with burns and other injuries, Redfearn said. Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Susan Miller and Michael Collins, USA TODAY; Reuters
