Terrorist Attack in Colorado Leaves Eight Injured at Pro-Israel Rally
Eight people were hospitalized after an Egyptian national attacked a solidarity march with a makeshift flamethrower and Molotov cocktails. The FBI has called the attack on members of a pro-Israel solidarity march in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday afternoon an "act of terrorism." Eight people were harmed when a 45-year-old Egyptian national attacked them.
Mohamed Sabry Soliman used what police called a "makeshift flamethrower" and "Molotov cocktails" on protesters who had come together for the weekly "Run for Their Lives" march to raise awareness for Israeli prisoners in Gaza.
Details of the Attack and the Victims
The attack happened at 1:26 p.m. local time on Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado. Authorities say that Soliman yelled "free Palestine" while he was attacking, and then he was arrested.
Eight people, four men and four women between the ages of 52 and 88, were hurt and burned, and taken to hospitals in the Denver area. There is still one person who is in serious condition. Rabbi Israel Wilhelm, director of Chabad at the University of Colorado Boulder, claimed that one of the victims is an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor.
People can be seen running and yelling in eyewitness footage as smoke fills the area. Other people ran to help the injured. A business owner in the area brought water to the site to help the people who had been burned.
Investigation and Background of the Suspect
Federal officials said that Soliman came to California in 2022 on a non-immigrant visa that ran out in February 2023. Before the incident, he had been living in Colorado Springs for a short time.
As part of their ongoing investigation, the FBI is doing "court-authorized law enforcement activity" at a location in El Paso County. Authorities said they are "fairly confident" that Soliman was the only person involved in what they are calling a domestic terrorism investigation.
Second Attack in Two Weeks
This is the second high-profile attack in the US in less than two weeks in which the suspects yelled pro-Palestinian slogans. On May 21, a shooter shot and killed two Israeli embassy workers at a networking event in Washington, D.C. When he was caught, he said, "Free, free Palestine."
Community Reaction and What They Did to Stay Safe
In a post on social media, Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett called the attack “appalling" and said that "violence and hatred have no place here" and that "Boulder will stand strong together." Local police are stepping up security for upcoming Jewish activities, notably during the holiday of Shavuot, which began Sunday night and will remain until Tuesday. There are a lot of religious and cultural events happening in the Boulder region during the holiday.
Oren Segal of the Anti-Defamation League called the act "completely shocking" and a "hit against the Jewish community." He said that there is a "rising tide of hate" against Jewish Americans. The group had just warned that Jewish communities were facing "unprecedentedly high threats."
The Boulder County Historic Courthouse, which is adjacent to the attack scene, will also be closed on Monday. Most of the roads around the region are accessible again, but officials still want people to report any strange behaviour.
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