Eight Injured in Suspected Terror Attack at Pro-Israel Rally in Colorado

Boulder, Colorado : Eight people were injured on Sunday when a 45-year-old man shouted “Free Palestine” and hurled incendiary devices into a crowd gathered for a pro-Israel demonstration in Boulder, authorities said. The incident occurred during a peaceful walk in remembrance of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.

According to Boulder police, the injured included four men and four women ranging in age from 52 to 88. All were transported to local hospitals for treatment. Initially, authorities had reported six injuries, with at least one person in critical condition.

“This appears to be a targeted act of violence,” said Mark Michalek, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Denver Field Office. “We are investigating this as an act of terrorism.”

The suspect was identified as Mohamed Soliman, who was hospitalized after the attack. Authorities said Soliman acted alone, and no other suspects are being sought at this time. “We’re fairly confident we have the lone suspect in custody,” Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn confirmed.

The attack took place at the Pearl Street Mall, a popular pedestrian shopping area near the University of Colorado. The event was organized by Run for Their Lives, a group that has been holding weekly walks to draw attention to Israeli hostages taken during Hamas’s October 2023 assault on Israel. The group said this was the first violent incident at their events since they began.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene. Brooke Coffman, a 19-year-old student at the University of Colorado, said she saw several women with burns, one of whom appeared severely injured and was wrapped in a flag by bystanders. She recalled seeing the attacker shirtless, holding a glass bottle of liquid, and yelling before the explosion. “Everybody was yelling, ‘get water, get water,’” she said.

Officials across the country have condemned the attack, calling it an antisemitic act of terror. FBI Director Kash Patel labeled it a “targeted terror attack,” while Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said it appeared to be a hate crime “given the group that was targeted.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar reacted on X (formerly Twitter), saying he was “shocked” by what he called a “terrible antisemitic terror attack” and described it as “pure antisemitism.”

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, one of the most prominent Jewish politicians in the country, also called it an antisemitic assault. “This is horrifying, and this cannot continue. We must stand up to antisemitism,” Schumer said on social media.

The incident has further inflamed tensions in the U.S. surrounding Israel’s war in Gaza. Over recent months, the conflict has sparked a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents and protests across the country. Conservative leaders, including former President Donald Trump, have accused pro-Palestinian demonstrators of promoting antisemitism. Trump’s administration has taken steps to crack down on such protests, detaining activists without charges and withdrawing funding from universities that have permitted them.

Trump’s former deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller added fuel to the fire on social media, claiming Soliman had overstayed his visa and was allowed to work under a previous administration. He called the attack “further proof” that the U.S. needs to “fully reverse suicidal migration policies.”

The Boulder attack follows another high-profile incident last month, when a man from Chicago was arrested for fatally shooting two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C. That shooting occurred as attendees were leaving an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee, an organization that advocates against antisemitism.

Colorado Governor Jared Polis expressed his sorrow and outrage. “It’s unfathomable that the Jewish community is facing another terror attack here in Boulder,” he posted online.

As authorities continue to investigate, the attack has become a flashpoint in the ongoing debate about safety, free expression, and rising hate crimes in the U.S.