Latest news with #hostageCrisis
CBS News
a day ago
- General
- CBS News
Boulder, Colorado attack will not deter NYC-area families from attending hostage rallies, loved ones say
The alleged antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado over the weekend happened as Jews in New York City are observing the joyous holiday of Shavuot. Before that holiday began Sunday, there were several similar rallies across the Tri-State Area. CBS News New York's Lisa Rozner spoke with Moshe Lavi, the brother-in-law of Omri Miran, a 48-year-old husband and father of two little girls, who was kidnapped from his home on Oct. 7, 2023. Lavi said Monday hostage families are standing with the victims of Boulder, but added there is not even time to grieve because their advocacy must go on. Miran and others have been held by Hamas for 605 days Lavi, along with the cousin of 24-year-old hostage Alon Ohel, rallied in Central Park on Sunday. Their peaceful call to bring home the remaining 58 hostages in Gaza happened hours before a similar rally in Boulder was met with firebombs. "It was heartbreaking. Those people are standing with us, the families, since Oct. 7, every Sunday," Lavi said. "The eldest [victim], I believe, is a Holocaust survivor, according to the reports. I talked to families in Israel over the past few hours and asked them, please use your Instagram pages for the hostages to amplify this, to send love and support to the Boulder community." Lavi said it marked 605 days for the 20 hostages believed to be alive in captivity, including Miran, whose daughters, ages 2 and 4, ask for him daily. During this agonizing period, Lavi says worldwide gatherings like the "Run for Their Lives" in Colorado have given his family strength. "Sadly, we don't have time even to process these things because we immediately have to go back to the business on the table, which is what can we do today to raise awareness to bring Omri home," Lavi said. "I fear for the Jewish community in this country" Back in April, Hamas released a second propaganda video of Miran. "He did not look well, but I, we, focus on the fact he's alive," Lavi said. Lavi said the United States has a pivotal role in negotiations to end the war in Gaza. "In our rallies, we are voicing what should be the call of every human being on this planet, that hostage taking is unjust," Lavi said. "[They] targeted people who call for a resolution, who call for a solution to this ongoing crisis and war. At the moment, I fear for the Jewish community in this country and many other Western countries. We are under threat by hateful people." Lavi said he will not let a hateful movement silence him or deter him from attending this Sunday's rally, but he also pointed out that what happened in Boulder underscores that hate speech can translate to physical violence. Be proud to be Jewish, rapper Kosha Dillz says Rami Even-Esh of Bushwick, Brooklyn, also known as the rapper Kosha Dillz, proudly wore his Jewish faith on Monday after hearing from his friends who were supposed to be at the Boulder rally. "The response I got from my followers that message me is, 'I never thought this would happen to us,'" Even-Esh said. "It makes me actually want to be more open and proud." From Great Neck to Central Park, peaceful gatherings calling for the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas were held Sunday, around the same time as the Boulder attack. "We are still in mourning. Two weeks ago, our worst fears were realized when this type of violence touched our community," said Josh Kramer, director of the American Jewish Committee New York. It was after one of the AJC's events in Washington D.C. that 26-year-old Sarah Milgrim and 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky were allegedly gunned down by a man who yelled "Free Palestine." In Boulder on Sunday, the suspect shouted that same phrase as he set people on fire. "Language that has been used to cast Israel, Zionists and more broadly Jews around the world as legitimate targets in these kinds of attacks has lead us to this point," Kramer said. "What people don't know, there are Muslim hostages. There are Black hostages," Even-Esh added. Boulder Jewish Festival is this Sunday Even-Esh is running for Holocaust survivors in the New York City Marathon, and just ran the Boston Marathon for victims of terror. "There's no other group that's like, we need armed security while we're running in a park," Even-Esh said. "They want us to hide our Jewishness, like taking off yarmulke and tucking in chain, not having Israeli flag, based on actions 6,000 miles away. You're a runner and part of a running group. You're running group should definitely say something, whether you're Jewish or not." He said his friends in Boulder have told him they'll show up next Sunday for the scheduled Boulder Jewish Festival. "The main thing is next week they're going to be back better than ever," Even-Esh said.
Washington Post
a day ago
- General
- Washington Post
What to know about Colorado attack on Jewish gathering that injured 8
Federal officials are investigating a 'targeted act of terrorism' after they said a man used a 'makeshift flame thrower' and incendiary device Sunday afternoon to injure eight people in Boulder, Colorado, who were calling for the release of hostages in Gaza. A 45-year-old man was arrested at the scene and briefly hospitalized before he was taken into custody at the Boulder County Jail, where he faces multiple charges.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Eight people injured in 'targeted' attack in Boulder, Colorado
An Israeli flag is seen on a street sign in Boulder City, as police can be seen near Pearl Street, the scene of an attack on demonstrators on 1 June, 20205 as they called for hostages held in Gaza to be released. Photo: AFP/ Eli Imadali A man reportedly set people on fire in the US city of Boulder, Colorado, leaving multiple individuals injured, the city's police chief said, as people gathered for a 'peaceful' pro-Israeli demonstration. A suspect is in custody and police are investigating what FBI officials immediately called "a targeted terror attack" - though the local authorities said it was too early to define the attack. "When we arrived, we encountered multiple victims ... with injuries consistent with burns and other injuries," Boulder police chief Stephen Redfearn said on Sunday (US time). The man threw bottles that apparently contained flammable liquid that hit the ground and exploded in flames, multiple law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told CNN, noting the exact number of bottles was unclear. The reported attack took place at the Boulder Run for Their Lives event, the Anti-Defamation League said on social media. The weekly gathering of Jewish community members is meant to support the hostages taken during the 7 October attacks in Israel, in 2023. The ADL noted that the incident happened ahead of the holiday of Shavuot, according to the ADL - a Jewish holiday which celebrates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai. The eight injured include four women and four men, ages 52 to 88, who were taken to hospitals in the Denver metro area, Boulder police said. One victim was "very seriously injured," according to Redfearn. Four victims were taken to Boulder Community Hospital. Two victims were airlifted to the Denver metro area, the chief said. "Our thoughts are heavily focused on their recovery," he added. "We are saddened and heartbroken to learn that an incendiary device was thrown at walkers at the Run for Their Lives walk on Pearl Street as they were raising awareness for the hostages still held in Gaza," Boulder's Jewish community said in a joint statement to CNN. An FBI team is investigating an attack on demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado, which left several people with burns and other injuries. Photo: ELI IMADALI An eyewitness told CNN of seeing people whose pants were completely burned and singed off. Brian H, who did not want to give his last name due to safety concerns, said he and his family were dining outside when a woman ran from the nearby Boulder courthouse to warn them a man was throwing fire at people. Brian said he ran into the courtyard, where he said he saw a man carrying a tank on his back that resembled a gardening chemical sprayer. "I saw fabric coming out of it, and I quickly realised that it was a Molotov cocktail. One had already exploded right in front of us," Brian said. He saw another man trying to talk the suspect down, but the suspect kept yelling, "F**k you, Zionist," "You all deserve to die," and "You've killed these children." "He was very erratic, shouting and spewing terrible things at different people," Brian said. After calling 911, Brian went to help victims. He described seeing an elderly woman lying on the ground, unresponsive. "There were several people attending to her and wrapping her up, trying to ensure she was ok," he said. While people from a restaurant were bringing large buckets of ice water to help extinguish the flames. He said he grabbed a bucket and filled it with water from a fountain in the middle of the courtyard: "I just kept filling that up and pouring it on their legs". CNN reported that Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was the suspect in the attack and reportedly used what authorities called "a makeshift flamethrower". "This attack happened at a regularly scheduled, weekly peaceful event," FBI Denver Special Agent-in-Charge Mark D Michalek said during a news conference on Sunday. "Witnesses are reporting that the subject used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd." It is unclear if Soliman has an attorney at this time. Authorities said Soliman was injured during the attack and was taken to a hospital. "The FBI shares in the sorrow of the Boulder community, especially to those who have family or friends injured in this tragedy," Michalek said. "At this point, we do not believe that there is an additional suspect at large," Police Chief Redfearn said. When asked if there was evidence the suspect acted as part of a "greater network" or specific group, Michalek said, "Not at this time." "The subject is in custody, but this will be a thorough and complete investigation, and those checks are ongoing," Michalek said. A witness to the attack described seeing a "big fire go up", they told Colorado TV station KUSA. Brooke Coffman said she was on the phone with her mother during her lunch break, approximately 100 to 150 feet away from the Boulder courthouse, when she "saw some flags moving around," "people wrestling," and "like someone was getting beat up or something." When she saw the flames, Coffman said she hung up on her mother, ran over to the area and called 911. A bomb squad team at a staging area, in response to an attack on a pro-Israeli demonstration, in the US city of Boulder, Colorado. Photo: AFP/ Getty Images - Chet Strange "There was a kid yelling, 'Call 911,'" Coffman recalled. "People on the street were just yelling, 'Call 911.' People were running." Coffman told KUSA she jumped over a small fence to get to two women who were "rolling around a bit" on the grass and in their underwear from stripping off their pants. She asked how she could help and saw how extensive their burns were. "They have really bad burns all up on their legs," she said. One of the victims was screaming and "was wrapped in a flag." "It just wasn't a good scene and she was, definitely needed help," she said. "It was just not obviously a good thing to see." Police at a roadblock, Boulder, Colorado. Photo: AFP/ Getty Images - Chet Strange FBI agents and federal prosecutors are reviewing the circumstances of the incident to determine whether the individual will be charged with terrorism or under other possible federal criminal statutes, a source familiar with the investigation told CNN. The source stressed potential mental health concerns had not yet been ruled out, which could factor into any charging decision. "Department of Justice agents with local law enforcement are investigating the tragic attack in Boulder, Colorado," a Department of Justice spokesperson said in a statement. "Our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected by this needless act of violence, which follows recent attacks against Jewish Americans. We will follow the facts and prosecute all perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law." FBI director Kash Patel said in a social media post that "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." 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. @FBI FBI deputy director Dan Bongino added: "We are investigating this incident as an act of terror, and targeted violence." Colorado Governor Jared Polis is "closely monitoring the situation," he said in a statement on Sunday. "Hate-filled acts of any kind are unacceptable. While details emerge, the state works with local and federal law enforcement to support this investigation. More information will be provided as it becomes available," Polis added. President Donald Trump was briefed on the attack, a White House official has told CNN. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the suspect had "illegally overstayed" a tourist visa. "He was granted a tourist visa by the Biden Administration and then he illegally overstayed that visa," Miller wrote in a post on X. "In response, the Biden Administration gave him a work permit." Miller characterized the suspect, 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, as an "illegal alien." Law enforcement sources previously told CNN that the suspect had applied for asylum and been rejected for a visa in 2005. It was unclear how and when the suspect entered the US. CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE for information about the suspect's immigration status. The Boulder attack comes a little over a week after the fatal shooting of two staffers at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC. The accused gunman, Elias Rodriguez, faces several federal murder charges, after authorities say he shot Sarah Milgrim, 26, and Yaron Lischinsky, 30, as they left an event at the Jewish Museum. Rodriguez reportedly shouted "Free Palestine" as he was arrested. The US Department of Justice is investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. Both attacks come amid heightened tensions in the US during Israel's ongoing war in Gaza. Speaking at Sunday's news conference after the Boulder attack, the FBI's Michalek said, "Sadly, attacks like this are becoming too common across the country." "This is an example of how perpetrators of violence continue to threaten communities across our nation." The New York Police Department said its presence has been increased at synagogues and other religious sites throughout New York City for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, following Sunday's anti-Semitic attack in Boulder. That included "high visibility patrols and heavy weapons terms," the Department announced in a post on X. Shavuot began Sunday evening. Increased NYPD patrols have been sent to synagogues and mosques on multiple occasions since the start of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, on 7 October, 2023. New York state is home to the largest population of Jews outside of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, while also boasting one of the country's largest populations of Arabs and Muslims. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security had previously reported increased reports of anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, and anti-Arab threats following the start of the war. - CNN
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Witkoff slams Hamas over ‘unacceptable' ceasefire proposal response
President Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said he received a response to the hostage proposal from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, slamming it as 'totally unacceptable' and arguing that it will 'only' take all sides involved 'backward.' 'Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week,' Witkoff, who has been Trump's point person in high-level diplomatic discussions in Russia and the Gulf, said in a Saturday statement on X. Witkoff sent over the proposal, which was approved by Israel, on Thursday. The framework included having Hamas, designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government, release 10 living Israeli hostages along with 18 bodies from the Gaza Strip in exchange for a 60-day truce. Hamas received the proposal and was reviewing it on Friday and Saturday. The militant group then later on Saturday responded to the proposal, saying it is looking for a permanent ceasefire, guaranteed procurement of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in the war-torn enclave and 'a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.' Hamas also added that 10 living Israeli hostages and 19 bodies will be exchanged for a number of Palestinian prisoners that would have to be agreed upon by all sides. Witkoff said on Saturday that his proposal is the 'only way we can close a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days in which half of the living hostages and half of those who are deceased will come home to their families and in which we can have at the proximity talks substantive negotiations in good-faith to try to reach a permanent ceasefire.' Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Saturday that Hamas launched the terrorist attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 Israelis and taking some 250 hostages and that the militant group is 'responsible for its continuation by refusing to release our hostages and disarm.' 'If France and the UK want to reach a ceasefire – pressure should be put on Hamas that continues to say No, instead of attacking Israel, which says Yes,' Sa'ar wrote on Saturday. Trump stated on Friday that Hamas and Israel were 'very close' to reaching a ceasefire agreement that would at least temporarily halt the nearly 20-month war in the enclave. Hamas also said that it was looking to amend the Israeli-backed proposal, specifically predicated on 'U.S. guarantees, the timing of hostage release, the delivery of aid and the withdrawal of Israeli forces,' according to the militant's senior official who spoke to The Associated Press. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
I watched maniac hack his own neck with kitchen knife & took on infamous ‘suicide bomber'…my life as hostage negotiator
AS filing cabinets, chairs and shattered glass rained from the sky, John Sutherland felt like he was in a scene from the apocalypse. Hours earlier a man wearing a suicide vest and wielding a homemade flamethrower had stormed offices on London's Tottenham Court Road and taken terrified hostages, including a pregnant woman. 10 10 10 More than 1,000 workers, shoppers and tourists were evacuated as it was feared the 'terrorist' had enough explosives to 'bring the whole building down with everyone in it'. Dubbed 'the Siege of London', it was an exceptionally-high alert situation due to it being three months before the 2012 Summer Olympics. 'It was one of the most extraordinary days of my whole career,' former Met Police Chief Superintendent John, now 55, tells us. 'I was on the scene working out what on earth to do when I heard the sound of glass shattering. I looked up and a window was being broken. 'A series of office equipment - computers, furniture, cabinets, everything - rained down onto the street below. It was genuinely apocalyptic.' Fortunately, despite threatening to "blow everyone up", the suspect's bomb jacket was fake and the attacker wasn't a terrorist but a disgruntled HGV driver. Ex-BNP candidate Michael Green, then 48, carried out the siege to retrieve £1,000 he paid for a driving course after failing his exams twice and feeling he had 'nothing left to live for'. Green forced his hostages to lob office supplies through a window to 'liquidise some assets'. 'He raided their offices as way to settle his grievances after some form of meltdown,' John says. 'It could have ended terribly but we managed to get him and everyone out unscathed.' It's one of many colourful tales from the retired Met officer, who has mined his experiences over 26 years as a hostage and crisis negotiator to pen his Sunday Times bestselling crime thriller, The Castle. I'm a cop turned vigilante who hunted down a one-man crime wave after police turned a blind eye In an exclusive interview, John explains that unlike in Hollywood movies, 90 per cent of his work was 'holding out a hand' to those in crisis on 'the worst day of their lives'. He tackled dozens of threats in London and recalled the simple question he was routinely asked before being dispatched on a job: 'Are you ready to save a life?' 'Whether it was 3am or in the middle of the afternoon, when you heard those words it focused the mind, because it was the only thing that mattered,' John says. 'I've always said the greatest duty and privilege for any police officer is to save the life of another human being, and that is the exact job of a negotiator.' Stand-off tragedy Despite that, it was a deeply challenging and emotionally turbulent role which is voluntary within the police force. When on shift, negotiators are on-call 24 hours a day for that week. Most stand-offs go on for a few hours, but John said it was not unusual for them to last two to three days. One of the longest he was involved with was the tragic Markham Square siege in London's Chelsea on May 6, 2008. John was the negotiator for the five-hour stand-off which ended with wealthy divorce barrister Mark Saunders being shot dead by police. The 32-year-old, who had represented presenter Chris Tarrant, had fired shotgun rounds from his £2.2million home during a mental health episode linked to alcohol and drugs. 10 10 Out of respect for Mark's widow, John only says a few words about the tragedy, admitting: 'It was one of the days that will stay with me for the rest of my life.' Previously in his memoir, Blue, John mournfully explained how "a man died on my watch", and he was "the last living soul to hold a conversation with him". Another harrowing encounter saw John talk down an Eastern European man who was threatening to throw himself from the 17th floor of a block of flats in Islington overlooking Arsenal's Emirates stadium. 'He was standing on the wrong side of the window on a ledge that was six inches wide, if that,' John recalls. 'Inexplicably, the windows opened into space with no balconies. 'I don't know how long I was with him, all I know was that it was a hell of a long way down and any of the next moments could have been his last. 'It was difficult talking to him because I didn't speak his language, but as a negotiator you try to find common humanity and understand the story of the person you're dealing with. 'For him it was a perfect storm of being unable to get a job because he had no address, but not being able to have an address because he didn't have a job.' John admits he had no idea whether he would be able to coax the man back inside after he'd reached such a heartbreaking 'point of desperation', but thankfully he succeeded. Heartbroken OAP John tells us the key to a successful hostage negotiation is the art of listening, as was proven in an extraordinary case at an old people's home. Upon arriving, John was taken into a communal area where a man in his 80s sat in an armchair holding a large kitchen knife to his throat. 'There was almost a surreal nature to the scene, he clearly represented no threat to anyone else but a significant threat to himself,' John recalls. He approached him slowly and sat in an armchair nearby, knowing he could move much faster should he need to flee, and "asked the old boy tell his story'. It was difficult talking to him because I didn't speak his language, but as a negotiator you try to find common humanity and understand the story of the person you're dealing with John Sutherland 'It transgressed, later on in life, he'd fallen in love with a fellow resident of the home but his feelings were not reciprocated," John says. 'In fact she had been fairly unkind to him and he was an old boy with a broken heart. I listened to him and he agreed to put the knife down.' The need to be heard and 'feeling that they matter' were common themes, with John recounting many stories of people on the edge after mental health struggles. They include a man threatening to jump into an icy cold pond on Hampstead Heath at 3am and a drug addict holding a hypodermic syringe in his neck 'as a weapon'. Life in the balance 10 By the time John arrived at one difficult incident there was already a line of territorial support group (TSG) officers on the scene, clad with long shields. He recalls: 'The man in his 20s was in the kitchen-diner of a flat on one side, with a knife to his throat, and I was safely behind the shields trying to engage with him. 'This poor young guy was seriously mentally ill. It was one of few times in my career where I've spoken to someone directly and knew mine wasn't the only voice they were hearing.' John remembers him 'pacing continually backwards and forward, like a tiger I'd seen in London Zoo', twisting the knife more and more. If there's a life hanging in the balance, you can't wait for anyone else. You have to get on and deal with what is in front of you John Sutherland 'One minute he was with us, partly lucid, the next he was somewhere else,' he recalls. The man eventually surrendered after speaking to his mum on the phone. In another incident a man with a kitchen knife was furiously 'sawing backwards and forwards on his head and neck' while holding his ex-girlfriend and child hostage. John recalls the "curtain of blood running down his face and soaking his clothes", adding it reminded him of a scene from the Stephen King film Carrie. Race against time Whenever he received a dispatch call, John says there was an element of adrenaline, which was followed by exhaustion "so deep you're almost unable to speak or walk" afterwards. But he remained motivated by the 'profound sense that today we did something good'. He retired in February 2018, and John has now turned his hand to writing books including memoirs Blue and Crossing The Line, and fiction titles The Siege, The Fallen and his latest novel, The Castle. 'Psychologically and emotionally I draw on my lived experience," he says. "Alex, one of the lead characters [in The Castle], is a version of me, but is a million times more interesting. 'But my deeper purpose to all of it, which I feel very passionately about having worked as a hostage and crisis negotiator, is for people to re-learn the art of listening. 'In the world at the moment it seems that most of us are shouting at each other and not listening. Listening is in danger of becoming a lost art. 'While I hope my thrillers are thrilling, subtly they have something to say about the ways that we listen and how it can do some good in the world. It can save people's lives.'
