Eight people were hospitalized after a man used a “makeshift flamethrower” on a gathering in Boulder, Colo., honoring Israeli captives in Gaza. The authorities are investigating it as an act of terrorism.
The authorities said they were investigating an attack in Boulder, Colo., on Sunday as an act of terrorism, after a man used a “makeshift flamethrower” to attack demonstrators marching peacefully in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Eight people were hospitalized with burns and other injuries, and two of them were in serious condition, officials said. The suspect was arrested.
The attack may intensify deep unease in the Jewish community in the United States. In recent months, two Israeli embassy aides were murdered in Washington, and a man set fire to the residence of Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who is Jewish.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Who was attacked?
- Who is the suspect?
- What are the authorities saying?
- How have officials responded?
Who was attacked?
The injury victims — four men and four women, who range in age from 52 to 88 — were participating in a weekly event called Run for Their Lives that is held in cities around the world. It is designed to call attention to the hostages taken by Hamas militants in the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel.
The police began to receive calls about an emergency at the Pearl Street pedestrian mall at 1:26 p.m., Boulder’s police chief, Steve Redfearn, said at a news conference on Sunday evening. Witnesses said a man threw an incendiary device into the crowd, according to the authorities. The man yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack, according to Mark D. Michalek, the special agent in charge of the F.B.I.’s Denver field office.
Lisa Effress, who was eating lunch nearby, said that she ran to the scene and saw smoke, people who were half-dressed and dazed, and discarded clothes that had been used to extinguish flames.
“It was horrible,” Ms. Effress said.
The victims were hospitalized with injuries ranging from minor to serious. At least two of them were flown by helicopter to a burn unit in Denver.
Who is the suspect?
The suspect was identified as Mohamed Sabry Soliman of Colorado Springs. Mr. Soliman, 45, was taken into custody after witnesses pointed him out, and was booked on multiple charges in the Boulder County Jail on Sunday.
Video verified by the news agency Storyful showed a man, shirtless and holding two bottles, shouting while patches of grass burned in front of the county courthouse and bystanders helped injured people.
Mr. Soliman was booked on charges including first-degree murder and using explosives or an incendiary device while committing a felony. The charges do not necessarily equate to charges that prosecutors may decide to file.
Earlier, Michael Dougherty, the district attorney for Boulder County, said that the authorities would decide what charges to file against Mr. Soliman in the coming days.
What are the authorities saying?
The F.B.I. was investigating the attack as an act of terrorism, Chief Redfearn said, adding that the preliminary facts made it “clear that this is a targeted act of violence.”
Late Sunday, the police and the F.B.I. had cordoned off a residential block in Colorado Springs with patrol cars. They let a woman enter a home identified as the attacker’s.
There was no immediate indication that Mr. Soliman was linked to any particular group or network, Mr. Michalek said.
The attorney general of Colorado, Phil Weiser, a Democrat, said in a statement that the attack “appears to be a hate crime given the group that was targeted.”
How have officials responded?
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said in a statement that the assailant had attacked in “cold blood” and called on U.S. authorities to prosecute the perpetrator to the fullest extent possible.
Describing the attack as an act of antisemitism, Mr. Netanyahu said: “This attack was aimed against peaceful people who wished to express their solidarity with the hostages held by Hamas, simply because they were Jews.”
Mayor Aaron Brockett of Boulder said in an interview on Sunday night that he was outraged and saddened by the attack. “These were Jewish community members who were on a march for peace and for hostage return, and they were brutally attacked,” he said. “It’s disgusting and appalling.”
Alexandra E. Petri contributed reporting.
