Attack in Boulder, Colorado, burns 12 people at march for Israeli hostages, officials say; suspect charged

A suspect is in custody after what the FBI is calling a "targeted act of violence" during a peaceful march in support of Israeli hostages at the outdoor Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday. 

Witnesses said the suspect used a "makeshift flamethrower" and threw Molotov cocktails that burned multiple victims, police and the FBI said. Boulder police initially said eight people were injured; they raised the total to 12 on Monday afternoon after officials said four more people with less serious injuries came forward.

The suspect was identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, FBI Special Agent in Charge Mike Michalek said Sunday evening. Soliman was allegedly heard yelling "Free Palestine" during the attack, according to Michalek, who said that it was "clear this is a targeted act of violence" and it is being investigated as an act of terrorism.

Soliman has been charged with multiple felony counts, including attempted murder, and a federal hate crimes charge.

Soliman is an Egyptian national, government officials confirmed to CBS Colorado. He arrived in California in 2022 on a non-immigrant visa, the Department of Homeland Security said. That original visa expired in February 2023, and he had applied for asylum. Soliman had recently been living in Colorado Springs.

The FBI said later Sunday night it was "conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity related to the attack on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder" in El Paso County, Colorado, where Colorado Springs is located. 

Soliman has been charged with multiple felony counts and a federal hate crimes charge.

The walk to remember the Israeli hostages who remain in Gaza was taking place in Boulder's downtown at the time of the attack. Two sources said witnesses told investigators the suspect also yelled "End Zionist!" during the attack.

Among those injured were four women and four men ranging in age from 52 to 88, police said. One was seriously injured, with Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn saying it would be "safe to say" that person was in critical condition.

Rabbi Israel Wilhelm, the Chabad director at the University of Colorado Boulder, told CBS Colorado the 88-year-old victim is a Holocaust refugee who fled Europe, calling her a "very loving person." Another victim is a professor at CU, Wilhelm said.

The people who were injured were outside the historic Boulder County Courthouse at 13th Street and Pearl Street. A burn scar could be seen in the space in front of the building. Witnesses said they saw people writhing on the ground and people running with water to try to help immediately afterward.

UCHealth confirmed that two victims were flown by helicopter to its burn unit. Four others were taken to Boulder Community Health, police said, but they had all either been transferred or discharged later Sunday night, the hospital said. It did not provide specifics on how many had been discharged.

Following the attack, which happened at 1:26 p.m. local time, three blocks of Pearl Street were evacuated. Investigators said there was a vehicle of interest in that zone, which an FBI official later said belonged to the suspect. The evacuations were lifted after nightfall.

Omer Shachar, Run for Their Lives Denver co-leader, told CBS News the group reached out to Boulder police about security concerns surrounding the walk several times before Sunday's event. CBS News has reached out to Boulder police for comment. 

FBI Director Kash Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino described the incident as a terrorist attack and said FBI agents were at the scene Sunday afternoon.

U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi released a statement Monday after the federal charge was filed. "The Department of Justice has swiftly charged the illegal alien perpetrator of this heinous attack with a federal hate crime and will hold him accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Our prayers are with the victims and our Jewish community across the world," she said.

Bondi added, "This vile anti-Semitic violence comes just weeks after the horrific murder of two young Jewish Americans in Washington DC," referring to the fatal shooting of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky outside the Capital Jewish Museum on May 21. "We will never tolerate this kind of hatred. We refuse to accept a world in which Jewish Americans are targeted for who they are and what they believe." 

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on social media that the "National Counterterrorism Center is working with the FBI and local law enforcement on the ground investigating the targeted terror attack against a weekly meeting of Jewish community members who had just gathered in Boulder, CO to raise awareness of the hostages kidnapped during Hamas' attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Thank you to first responders and local authorities for your quick response and action."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the victims were attacked "simply because they were Jews" and that he trusted U.S. authorities would prosecute "the cold blood perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law," according to the Reuters news agency.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who is Jewish, condemned the attack in a news release, saying it was a "heinous and targeted act on the Jewish community." 

"As the Jewish community reels from the recent antisemitic murders in Washington, D.C., it is unfathomable that the community is facing another antisemitic attack here in Boulder, on the eve of the holiday of Shavuot," Polis said. "Several individuals were brutally attacked while peacefully drawing attention to the plight of hostages who have been held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for 604 days. Hate is unacceptable in our Colorado for all, and I condemn this act of terror. The suspect should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."  

Run for Their Lives, which organized the walk, said, "This is not a protest; it is a peaceful walk to show solidarity with the hostages and their families, and a plea for their release." The group met at 1 p.m. at Pearl Street and 8th Street to walk the length of the Pearl Street Mall and back with a stop at the courthouse for a video.

Ed Victor, who was participating in the walk, said they've been holding these silent marches every week since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack to raise awareness for the hostages still in Gaza. They stop at the courthouse to sing songs, tell stories and read the names of the hostages each week. He said around 30 people were participating in Sunday's walk.

Victor said that the marchers occasionally encounter hecklers, but they try not to respond and continue peacefully down Pearl Street. People also often nod, clap or thank them as they walk by, he added. He said that he never expected that someone would attack them.

"So we stood up, lined up in front of the old Boulder courthouse, and I was actually on the far west side. And there was somebody there that I didn't even notice, although he was making a lot of noise, but I'm just focused on my job of being quiet and getting lined up. And, from my point of view, all of a sudden, I felt the heat. It was a Molotov cocktail equivalent, a gas bomb in a glass jar, thrown. Av [another marcher] saw it, a big flame as high as a tree, and all I saw was someone on fire," said Victor.

Victor said they tried to put the fire out. As another marcher with medical experience stepped in to take care of her, Victor stayed with her husband to comfort him. He said volunteers also rushed in to help, bringing water.

"I saw the aftermath," said street performer Peter Irish. "It was like minutes after. I came out, it was chaos, people were writhing on the ground. It was traumatic to watch, to be honest with you. It was chaos."  

University of Colorado system President Todd Saliman said in a statement Sunday, "My deepest sympathies go out tonight to those keeping weekly vigil who were viciously attacked in Boulder today. I hope that they and their loved ones feel the support of our community as they struggle to comprehend what has happened. I know the shock and horror of today's violent act will have long echoes for each of the victims, their loved ones and members of the community. We must vocally and forcefully condemn this hateful act of violence targeting the Jewish community and prosecute those responsible."  

A joint statement from Boulder's Jewish community said:

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.

We don't have all the details of what is unfolding, and we promise to keep our community informed.

Our hearts go out to those who witnessed this horrible attack, and prayers for a speedy recovery to those who were injured.

We are in touch with law enforcement about our Boulder Jewish community, and safety is our highest priority. We are working closely with SCN, Boulder PD, and the FBI. We are grateful for the first responders who are caring for our injured.

We will continue to work together to share information and provide support for our community. When events like this enter our own community, we are shaken. Our hope is that we come together for one another.

Strength to you all.

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser denounced the attack and offered to help the victims in a release Sunday afternoon:

My thoughts are with those injured and impacted by today's attack against a group that meets weekly on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall to call for the release of the hostages in Gaza.

From what we know, this attack appears to be a hate crime given the group that was targeted. I have been in touch with Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty and have offered support from the Attorney General's Office.

People may have differing views about world events and the Israeli-Hamas conflict, but violence is never the answer to settling differences. Hate has no place in Colorado. We all have the right to peaceably assemble and the freedom to speak our views. But these violent acts—which are becoming more frequent, brazen, and closer to home—must stop and those who commit these horrific acts must be fully held to account.