Every week in Boulder, Colorado, volunteers from the Run for Their Lives group silently march through the streets to raise awareness about the hostages still held in Gaza.
However, on Sunday, their peaceful gathering at the Pearl Street pedestrian mall turned chaotic after a man armed with a “makeshift flamethrower” and Molotov cocktails attacked the crowd, injuring six people.
About 20 to 30 participants had gathered at the courthouse, where they typically read the names of the hostages. Ed Victor, one of the volunteers, recalled suddenly feeling heat from the flames despite focusing on maintaining silence and order.
Lynn Segal, 72, witnessed a “rope of fire” followed by two large flares erupting in front of her. The scene quickly descended into chaos as people scrambled to find water to extinguish the flames and seek help.
Segal, who was wearing a pro-Palestinian T-shirt, said she wanted to assist the burning victims but hesitated due to fear of being associated with the attacker.
The FBI reported that the suspect allegedly shouted “Free Palestine” while using the flamethrower against the crowd.
Washington-based FBI officials confirmed they are treating the incident as an act of terrorism, while the Justice Department described it as a senseless act of violence, following recent attacks targeting Jewish Americans.
However, Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn urged caution in labeling the event a terror attack, saying it would be premature to speculate on motives so soon.
Authorities received a call at 1:26 p.m. local time reporting a man setting people on fire. Six victims, aged between 67 and 88, were injured, with injuries consistent with being set aflame.
The victims were taken to Boulder Community Hospital, some with serious injuries and at least one in critical condition. The pedestrian mall was evacuated, and police secured the area, including investigating a vehicle of interest.
Witness Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old university student, described seeing four women on the ground with burns, one severely injured and wrapped in a flag. She also saw a shirtless man holding a glass bottle and shouting while bystanders called for water.
The suspect was identified by the FBI as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman. He was arrested at the scene and taken to hospital; authorities did not specify his injuries or announce charges but expect to hold him fully accountable.
FBI Special Agent Mark Michalek stated the attack appears to be a targeted act of violence and is being investigated as terrorism.
This attack comes weeks after the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, DC, where a Chicago-born man allegedly opened fire on attendees leaving a Jewish advocacy event.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino both referred to the Boulder attack as a targeted terrorist act motivated by ideology, based on early evidence and witness accounts.
Nevertheless, local police maintain caution, stressing the investigation is ongoing.
Colorado Attorney-General Phil Weiser called the attack a hate crime and condemned the violence against a peaceful group gathering to advocate for Gaza hostages.
He stressed that while people may hold differing opinions about global conflicts like the Israeli-Hamas war, violence is never an acceptable response and hate has no place in Colorado.
Background: On October 7, 2023, Hamas militants launched an attack on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 hostages. Some hostages have been released or rescued, but many remain captive.
Israel’s military response has resulted in the deaths of over 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not specify civilian or combatant status.
The conflict has devastated large parts of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its nearly 2 million residents, per United Nations estimates.
