A man set fire to a group of people participating in a peaceful walk in Boulder, Colorado, supporting Israeli hostages. Eight people — four men and four women — were injured, including one woman who was engulfed in flames. The FBI has described it as a “targeted terror attack.”
Authorities say the suspect shouted “free Palestine” as he attacked with what was described as a makeshift flamethrower.
The assailant, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, threw incendiary devices into the crowd gathered on the Pearl Street Mall around 1:26 p.m. Sunday, The New York Times reported.
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The victims, aged between 52 and 88, were participating in “Run for Their Lives,” a weekly walk commemorating hostages taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. Witnesses told media that smoke and screams filled the pedestrian corridor as victims dropped to the ground and bystanders tried to extinguish the flames.
Among those injured was an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor who had fled Europe during the Nazi regime, Rabbi Israel Wilhelm of the University of Colorado told CBS Colorado. The four men and four women were hospitalized. One of the injured might not survive.
A video recording, which Storyful said it had verified, captured a shirtless man wielding two bottles, yelling amid chaos as parts of the grass near the Boulder County Courthouse burned.
Police Chief Steve Redfearn confirmed that Soliman was apprehended at the scene after witnesses identified him. He was also hospitalized.
Officials said two victims were airlifted to a Denver burn unit, and at least one was in critical condition.
The suspect allegedly shouted “End Zionists!” and “They are killers!” before igniting and throwing the devices, which included Molotov cocktails, according to the New York Post.
The organizer of the event, Miri Kornfeld, was quoted as saying Soliman had been waiting for the group near the courthouse, holding bottles of clear liquid. As participants arrived, he lit and threw the containers, setting five people alight.
FBI Denver Special Agent Mark Michalek told the media the incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
“As a result of these preliminary facts, it is clear that this is a targeted act of violence,” he was quoted as saying.
Michalek added there was no evidence yet connecting Soliman to any organized group.
The Department of Homeland Security is also involved in the investigation.
FBI Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on X that the National Counterterrorism Center is working with agencies on the ground.
The group’s organizers said the event is “not a protest,” but a “peaceful walk to show solidarity with the hostages and their families, and a plea for their release,” according to Axios.
The suspect, Soliman, is an Egyptian national who overstayed a tourist visa, according to Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Post said, citing sources. He entered the U.S. through Los Angeles International Airport on Aug. 27, 2022, with permission to stay until Feb. 26, 2023. He later received work authorization, which expired in March 2025.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller commented on X, “Immigration security is national security. No more hostile migration. Keep them out and send them back.”
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser stated that the attack “appears to be a hate crime given the group that was targeted.” He added, “Violence is never the answer to settling differences.”
Mayor Aaron Brockett of Boulder called the attack “disgusting and appalling,” adding that the victims were marching “for peace and for hostage return.”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis also expressed outrage, calling the act “heinous” and “unacceptable.”
The attack occurred less than two weeks after two Israeli Embassy employees were fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., by a man who also shouted “Free, free Palestine.” The victims in that case were Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim.
The Anti-Defamation League, which combats antisemitism, has said it is monitoring the Boulder case and noted its timing — just hours before Shavuot, a Jewish holiday that began at sundown.
In response, the NYPD said it would increase police presence at religious sites throughout New York City.
The Boulder Police Department has asked the public to avoid the downtown area near the courthouse while investigations continue.
