Multiple people set on fire in attack during Colorado pro-Israeli march, police say

[misskit]

A man reportedly set people on fire in 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,” Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said Sunday.

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.


At least two individuals have been taken to the hospital, according to those officials.

While the suspect has not been identified by police, federal charges are expected in the case, a source familiar with the investigation tells CNN.




FBI agents and federal prosectors are currently reviewing the circumstances of the incident to determine whether the individual will be charged with terrorism or under other possible federal criminal statutes, the source said.


The source stressed potential mental health concerns have not yet been ruled out, which could factor into any charging decision.


FBI leadership was quick to label the incident as terrorism. However, local law enforcement officials said earlier at a news conference that the motive remained under investigation.


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.”

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino added: “We are investigating this incident as an act of terror, and targeted violence.”


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 October 7 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.


“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.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is “closely monitoring the situation,” he said in a statement 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.

Boulder, Colorado attack: Multiple people set on fire in attack at Colorado march for Israeli hostages, police say | CNN

[harrybarracuda]

the Boulder Run for Their Lives event

I think they have those in Gaza on a regular basis.

[misskit]

Colorado attack suspect on expired visa charged with assault, use of explosives

The suspect in an attack on a pro-Israeli rally in Colorado that injured eight people was being held on Monday on an array of charges, including assault and the use of explosives, in lieu of a US$10 million bail, according to official records.


The posted list of felony charges against Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, also includes charges of murder in the first degree, although police have said on social media that no victims were killed in the attack, which took place on Sunday in the city of Boulder. Authorities could not be reached immediately to clarify.


Few details were available about the suspect, but Todd Lyons, acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Soliman had overstayed a visa and had an expired work permit.


"There are millions of individuals like this that we are attempting to locate from the past administration that weren't properly screened that were allowed in," Lyons said during a press conference in Boston. "I will tell you that's a huge effort for ICE right now."


Under former President Joe Biden, ICE prioritised arrests of serious criminals and called for officers to consider humanitarian factors when making arrests.

The attack was the latest act of violence aimed at Jewish Americans linked to outrage over Israel's escalating military offensive in Gaza. It followed the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy aides that took place outside Washington's Capital Jewish Museum last month.


Lyons declined to provide more information, but a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson previously said Soliman had entered the country in August 2022 and filed for asylum the following month. "The suspect, Mohamed Soliman, is illegally in our country," the spokesperson said.


US President Donald Trump said in a social media post that such attacks would not be tolerated. "This is yet another example of why we must keep our Borders SECURE, and deport Illegal, Anti-American Radicals from our Homeland," he said.


Witnesses reported the suspect used a makeshift flamethrower and threw an incendiary device into the crowd. He was heard to yell "Free Palestine," according to the FBI, during what the agency called a "targeted terror attack."


Four women and four men between 52 and 88 years of age were transported to hospitals after the attack, Boulder Police said.

The attack took place on the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping district near the University of Colorado, during an event organised by Run for Their Lives, an organisation devoted to drawing attention to the hostages seized in the aftermath of Hamas' 2023 attack on Israel.


Rabbi Yisroel Wilhelm, the Chabad director at the University of Colorado, Boulder, told CBS Colorado that the 88-year-old victim was a Holocaust refugee who fled Europe.


The FBI raided and searched Soliman's home in El Paso County, Colorado, the agency said on social media. "As this is an ongoing investigation, no additional information is available at this time."


The Denver office of the FBI, which is handling the case, did not immediately respond to emails or phone calls seeking clarification on the homicide charges or other details in the case.


Officials from the Boulder County Jail, Boulder Police and Boulder County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to inquiries.


Sunday's attack was not the first high-profile incident of mass violence in Boulder, a university town that attracts many young professionals and outdoors enthusiasts. In 2021, a gunman fatally shot 10 people, including an off-duty police officer, in a local supermarket.

Colorado attack suspect on expired visa charged with assault, use of explosives - CNA

[misskit]

Egyptian.

[39TG]

Trump is able to deal with this better than Biden. They wouldn't have woken Sleepy Joe up about the attacks on Jews. Trump's crew will interrupt his social media posting to tell him about this if he hasn't yet seen it on Fox News. They might even give him some talking or posting points. Those points will be Trump gasoline.

[harrybarracuda]

Trump is able to deal with this better than Biden. They wouldn't have woken Sleepy Joe up about the attacks on Jews. Trump's crew will interrupt his social media posting to tell him about this if he hasn't yet seen it on Fox News. They might even give him some talking or posting points. Those points will be Trump gasoline.

What, you think he'll order ICE to start grabbing people off the streets and deporting them?