Here's what we know about the Boulder attack so far.
Timeline of the Attack
According to the Boulder Police Department, officers responded to an attack on Pearl Street on Sunday, June 1, at 1:26 p.m. The alleged attacker "was setting people on fire" around the intersection of 13th Avenue and Pearl Street, according to Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn. Those attacked were participating in a peaceful demonstration for Run for Their Lives, a group that has been calling for the release of Israeli hostages in Hamas since 2023 and has been holding weekly walks along Pearl Street.The Boulder Police Department issued a statement shortly after 2 p.m. on social media saying it was "responding to a report of an attack at 13th and Pearl streets with reports of several victims," and asking people to clear the area.
At a 6:30 p.m. press conference, FBI special agent in charge Mark Michalek said a 45-year-old Colorado Springs man was in custody; people on the scene said he threw an incendiary device into the crowd and used a makeshift flamethrower to attack the group. Video of the attack shows a shirtless man holding bottles of clear liquid and what looks like Run for Their Lives members huddled on the ground as onlookers record the incident.
The attack took place on the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, making it even more hurtful to the local and international Jewish community, according to Jewish advocacy organizations.
Who Were the Victims?
Twelve people were sent to nearby hospitals for major burns, according to local police. No identities of the victims have been made public, but one of them is reportedly a Holocaust survivor. According to CBS Colorado, another victim is a professor at CU.Police said that one victim was in critical condition, and the assailant is currently charged with counts of first-degree murder, although Colorado does not require death for murder charges. There have been no reported deaths connected to the attack as of 3:30 p.m. on Monday, June 2.
Those attacked are members of Run for Their Lives. According to local media in Boulder, members of Run for Their Lives have held peaceful walks of demonstration every Sunday on Pearl Street for over a year, calling for the release of hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas, a pro-Palestinian militant group considered a terrorist organization by the United States. In October 2023, Hamas attacked and abducted concert-goers in Israel, killing hundreds and abducting approximately 251 people. Nearly two years later, Hamas still holds a reported 58 hostages or their bodies as the group protests Israel's occupation in the contested area of Gaza.
Who Was the Attacker?
According to the FBI, the Boulder attacker was 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman of Colorado Springs. Federal authorities say he is an Egyptian national who applied for asylum in the United States in 2022. Soliman allegedly yelled "Free Palestine!" before throwing two lit Molotov cocktails at the Run for Their Lives demonstrators, and told police that he had planned the terroristic attack for a year and would do it again if he could. He also used what appeared to be a makeshift flamethrower, according to people at the scene.The attacker allegedly told police he "wished they were all dead," according to federal agents.
“He also stated that he picked up gas at a gas station on the way to Boulder. He stated that he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” a criminal complaint filed in Boulder Monday morning reads.
According to the FBI, agents raided and searched Soliman's home late Sunday night. Neighbors told the New York Times that, as far as they knew, a family with three children lived at the house.
"He stated that he had been planning the attack for a year and was waiting until after his daughter graduated to conduct the attack,” reads a federal affidavit.
Is the Attack Considered Terrorism?
Although clearly a violent attack on a peaceful demonstration, there was some initial confusion as to whether the attack was considered a hate crime by law enforcement. However, the FBI and Colorado Governor Jared Polis quickly labeled the brutal assault as an act of terror. Soliman is now facing one federal hate crime charge, his arrest affidavit shows, with more charges expected to be filed at the federal level and in Colorado.Although the State of Colorado does not have a criminal terrorism statute, the attacker could face harsher charges and punishment because of the victims' ages and religious identity, according to Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.
Investigators found Soliman's car near the scene of the attack. Inside was "red material consistent with the rags found in the black plastic container; a red gas container; and paperwork with the words, 'Israel,' 'Palestine,' and 'USAID.'
“A black plastic container with a yellow top was found near where SOLIMAN was arrested. In the black plastic container were at least fourteen unlit Molotov cocktails, comprised of glass wine carafe bottles or Ball jars containing clear liquid and red rags hanging out of the bottles. Near the black plastic container was a backpack weed sprayer, potentially containing a flammable substance," the criminal report adds.
